InDro News Archives - Page 2 of 22

Dual manipulator Rosie the robot used for Industry 4.0 research

Oct 8, 2024 | Case Studies, InDro News, Innovation, Scott Simmie

At least some of you will remember The Jetsons.

The television series, created by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc., was a space-age version of The Flintstones (another Hanna-Barbera production). It originally aired in 1962-1963 with later episodes created in a reboot from 1985 to 1987.

But while Fred Flintstone drove a stone-age car (complete with stone wheels) that he powered by pushing his feet along the ground, George Jetson and his family lived in Orbit City, where Jetson commuted to his two-hour per week job via a flying car with a bubble top. And instead of having dinosaurs (including pterodactyls) help carry out tasks, The Jetsons live in a future where they’re surrounded by automated devices. You could think of their surroundings as the 1960s vision of the Smart Home.

And an integral part of that home? Well, that would be Rosey (later changed to ‘Rosie’) the robot.

Rosey was the family’s robotic maid. She carried out tasks that weren’t performed by the many other automatic conveniences that filled the Jetson’s home. She had two manipulator arms and an internally stored vacuum that be deployed on demand.

She was very useful around the house, carrying out tasks to save the family time.

And this story? Well, it’s about our own Rosie – which is also very space-age.

Below: A Rosie the robot publicity cel, signed by show creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The cel was auctioned in 2018; image by Heritage Auctions

Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons Heritage Auctions image

THE ROSIE STORY

So. What is Rosie? We asked Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth for a snapshot.

“Rosie is a dual arm mobile manipulation robot designed for pick and place in an industry 4.0 setting,” he says. In other words, it has two arms and manoeuvres on a wheeled platform, and is capable of moving objects from one location to another or even manipulating a single object with both end effectors.

And Rosie has a few tricks up her sleeve. Or, more accurately, sleeves.

“The actual robot is very unique because it has six mounting points for the arms. So you can mount the arms on top, high on the side or low on the side to access shelving of different heights. In fact, you could actually mount one arm directly on the top right, for example, and then mount the second one on the bottom left. So you could grab something from the top of the shelf and from the floor at the same time, which is kind of cool, right?”

Yes, indeed.

Rosie’s home is not with the Jetsons (she has no vacuum cleaner) but in a new lab that hasn’t yet been officially launched at Polytechnique Montréal. It’s called the Intelligent-Cyber Physical System Lab, or I-CPS. So we contacted Lionel Birglen, a professor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering. We wanted to learn more about what the lab does, what he does – and what plans he has for Rosie (which InDro built and shipped in 2023).

Dr. Birglen is a PhD Mechanical Engineer, with a specialisation in robotics. He’s particularly interested in – and an expert on – manipulators and end effectors and has designed and built them. He’s written two books, holds three patents, and is the author or contributing author of at least 94 research papers. He’s also – get this – been listed among the top two per cent most-cited scientists in the world in his area of specialisation.

So it kinda goes without saying, but he’s a pretty big deal in this field.

Dr. Birglen has a deep interest in the role robotics will play in the future of industry. And, within that realm, he’s intensely interested in ensuring that robots, particularly those that will be sharing space with human beings on a factory or warehouse floor, will be safe.

And – he emphasises – he doesn’t trust simulations for important work like this.

“Because simulations lie. They lie all the time,” he says. “You have to understand that reality is infinitely more complex than anything you can have in simulation – so actual experiments are absolutely essential to me. They are essential to my work, to my understanding of what robotic manipulation is.”

“I believe in math, but I know that reality is different. It’s more complex, more complicated, and includes so many un-modelled phenomena.”

ROSIE’S JOURNEY

Dr. Birglen knew he wanted a new robot for use in the new lab (which we’ll get to shortly). And he knew he wanted a robot with two manipulator arms.

“Dual-arm robots are, in my opinion, the future for industry applications,” he says.

And while humanoid bipeds grab a lot of attention, they’re far more complex (and expensive) than wheeled robots. Plus, he says, most factory applications take place on a single level and don’t require climbing stairs.

“From a factory perspective, a wheeled platform makes a lot of sense because typically in factories you don’t have, say, five levels connected by stairs.”

So he knew he wanted an autonomous, wheeled, dual-arm robot. And he started, initially, to think of a company other than InDro for the build.

“I came across InDro almost by accident,” he explains. “Giovanni Beltrame told me about you because he has purchased many, many robots from you. He said: ‘Those guys can build and assemble the robot for you. They’re close and they do a great job.’ So that’s how I came in contact with you.” (We’ve written previously about the amazing work Dr. Beltrame is working on involving robots and space. You can find that here.)

And so, after a number of calls with Luke Corbeth and the engineering team to settle on design and performance parameters, work on Rosie began.

Below: Technologist Tirth Gajera (‘T’) puts the finishing touches on Rosie in 2023

THE LAB

Polytechnique Montréal’s Intelligent-Cyber Physical System Lab (I-CPS) is set up as a highly connected Industry 4.0 factory. Faculty from four different departments – computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and mechanical engineering (Dr. Birglen) – are involved with the lab. Interns and students, under supervision, also work in the facility.

“So we have four departments involved in this lab and the idea is to build a small scale factory of the future, meaning that everything is connected. We are building a mini-factory inside this lab,” he says.

So think of cameras that can track objects on shelves – and people and robots within the environment. Think of smart tools like a CNC machine, which will eventually be operated by Rosie. And, perhaps just as important as the connectivity within the lab, is connectivity to other research institutes in Quebec, including Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke and École de Technologié Supérieure (ÉTS). All of those institutes are working with similar mini-factories, and they’re all connected. There’s even a relationship (and connectivity) with manipulator manufacturer Kinova. Funding came via a significant grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, or CFI.

“So think of our lab as like one node of this network of mini-factories around Quebec,” explains Dr. Birglen. That connectivity of all components is still a work-in-progress, but “ultimately the goal is that there is a cyber-connection between these different mini-factories, these different laboratories around Quebec, so that one part of one node can work in collaboration with another node in realtime.”

Plus, of course, a lot of learnings will take place within the individual labs themselves.

“We want to bring collaborative robots to work in tandem with humans,” he says. “We want our robots to safely move around people, we want robots to help people. And we also want robots to learn how to work from people.”

SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY

As mentioned earlier, there’s a huge emphasis on safety. And while there are international safety standards for collaborative robots, even a ‘safe’ cobot can pose a threat.

“All the collaborative robots that you have currently on the market more or less follow this technical standard and they are more or less safe, but they’re still dangerous,” explains Dr. Birglen. “And the classical example that we’ve all heard, and which is true, is that if a safe cobot has a knife in its hand and is moving around – it is very dangerous.”

So safety in the lab(s) is paramount – and that means safety at multiple levels. There must be safety:

At the task level; you must not have tasks that could endanger people
Safety at the control level
Safety in terms of collision detection, mitigation, obstacle avoidance
Safety at the data security level

Plus – and this really interests Dr. Birglen – you must ensure safety with any additional mechanical innovations that are introduced.

“What you develop, any mechanical system you develop, must be as much as possible intrinsically safe. And actually that’s one of the topics I’m currently working on is to develop end effectors and tooling that is intrinsically safe.”

Below: A LinkedIn post from Luke Corbeth shows Rosie, using both arms, inside the I-CPS lab

THE FUTURE

And why is research like this so important? What difference will it make to have robots and humans working safely together, with safe manipulators and end effectors that might even be able to, for example, lift an object in concert with a human being? And why the focus on interconnectedness between all of these facilities?

Well, there’s obviously the value of the research itself – which will lead to greater efficiencies, improved manipulators, gripping technologies, new algorithms and AI enhancements – as well as enhanced safety down the road. But there’s a much bigger picture, says Dr. Birglen, especially if you can get your head around thinking about the future from a global perspective.

China, he says, is no longer a developing nation. The days when the words “Made in China” meant poor quality are – with rare exceptions – gone. The country is, in fact, highly developed – and working at breakneck speed when it comes to innovation and adoption of robotics at scale. A revolution is underway that has massive implications for competitive advantage that simply cannot be ignored. So the research at I-CPS is not merely important from an academic perspective, it’s strategic when viewed through a global economic lens.

“We as a country – meaning Canada – are in competition with other countries for manufacturing, for producing goods and services. China is a developed country and it is very, very, very good in robotics,” he states. “You know how in the past we saw China as producing low quality goods, low quality robots? That’s over, man. That’s finished.”

And?

“If they are investing in robotics like mad and we are not, we’re going to be a leftover – Canada is going to sink as a rich country. If you want to produce wealth in the 21st Century, you need robots, you need automation, you need integration. In short, you need to be the leader of the pack or you’re going to be eaten.”

It’s a stark warning – and it’s true.

I step outside as author and state this having lived in China back when it was still a developing country in the late 1980s – and having returned several times since then. The transformation has been nothing short of astonishing. How, you might ask, did it achieve all this?

The answer has its genesis with former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. who led the country from 1978 to 1989. He didn’t merely open the door to reform; he created policies that began sending waves of students from what had been a xenophobic country abroad to study. There was an emphasis on careers that could help modernise the nation, including all aspects of engineering, aerospace, construction, transportation, architecture, etc. That’s where all this began.

Thankfully (and with credit to federal funding agencies like CFI), there are projects like I-CPS underway – and academics like Dr. Lionel Birglen with the vision to push the needle safely forward.

Below: “Baxter” – the original dual-arm robot. Baxter is still at Polytechnique Montréal, but Rosie is the mobile future. Photo by Luke Corbeth

INDRO’S TAKE

We’re obviously pleased Polytechnique Montréal selected InDro to build Rosie. And we’re particularly pleased to see that she’s being deployed at I-CPS, as part of an integrated and networked research project that has such potentially profound implications for the future.

“I believe Dr. Birglen is correct in his assessment of the importance of robotics and automation in the future,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “And when you throw innovations with drones and even autonomous Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles capable of carrying large cargo loads and passengers into the mix, we are actually heading into a Jetsons-like future,” he adds.

“I think there’s a growing understanding of the implications of this kind of future from not only the private sector, but also federal regulators and funding agencies. At InDro our mission will always focus on continued innovation. Sometimes those innovations are our own inventions, but a key piece of the puzzle is R&D work carried out by academics like Lionel Birglen. We’re confident that Rosie’s arms are in the right hands.”

Interested in learning more about a custom robotics solution? Feel free to contact us here.

Tight budget? InDro Offers multiple R&D options

Sep 19, 2024 | InDro News, LIMO, Scott Simmie, Success Stories

By Scott Simmie

Working on high-level R&D doesn’t necessarily mean a high-level budget.

It can, of course (and we can help you out there, as well).

But InDro is committed to putting powerful tools into the hands of researchers and developers without breaking the bank. We know many clients, particularly those in academia, often have ambitious plans but limited budgets. And we’re dedicated to providing those customers with multiple affordable options – along with the high-level support and documentation you’d expect might come only with more expensive options.

“That’s what makes it kind of fun, right? Trying to get clients the most value with the dollars available,” says Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth.

Often, academic researchers receive funding for specific projects from government or arms-length agencies. In Canada, many projects are partially funded by the forward-thinking Canada Foundation for Innovation. Founded in 1997 by the federal government, the CFI marked funding its 10,000th project in 2017 – and deserves a shout-out.

In the United States, academic clients are often funded by a similar agency, the National Science Foundation – which supports “grants, cooperative agreements and fellowships — that support research and education across science and engineering.”

More and more of these recipients come to InDro, looking for the biggest bang for their buck. Why InDro? Because we have options to suit any budget.

Below: The LIMO Pro, which we’ll hear about in a moment.

LIMO AND LIMO PRO

The small but powerful robot pictured above is currently at work in many labs across North America. Perfect for research on autonomy and machine vision/machine learning, these multi-modal and ROS-based machines feature four steering modes and punch well above their weight. Equipped with sensors and AI to understand their environment, the LIMO is capable of working on its own or in swarms. For institutions creating algorithms to help Smart Mobility become even smarter, the LIMO has proven to be a robust solution.

Easy to operate? Yes. But that ease in some ways belies the capabilities of LIMO. Boston University has purchased dozens of LIMOs through InDro, and is using them for multiple applications, including high-level, Multi-Agent Systems research.

“So typically what we expect within the next, let’s say five to 10 years, is a mixture of the smart connected autonomous vehicles and the regular vehicles that we typically refer to as Human Driven Vehicles or HDVs. So the idea is: How can we get these teams of autonomous agents to work together?” says says Christos Cassandras, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Head of the Division of Systems Engineering, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University.

“Since I can’t use dozens of real vehicles, I would like to use dozens of small robots that can be thought of as these autonomous vehicles, (which can) talk to each other, cooperate,” he says. “But also sometimes they don’t really cooperate if some of them are the HDVs. So what we are doing in our Boston University Robotics Lab…is we deploy these LIMOs that we have acquired as teams of autonomous vehicles.”

In the video below, you’ll see LIMOs driving cooperatively, calculating in real-time the most efficient way to merge. That’s followed by an overview video from LIMO manufacturer AgileX.

VERSATILE

Though your project might not involve the complexities undertaken at Boston University, these robots are up to whatever task you can throw at them.

“Oftentimes researchers want to purchase multiple of the same hardware to do multi-robot systems research, or the platform is going to be used for teaching and training,” says Corbeth.

For those requiring more advanced sensors and AI, there’s the LIMO Pro. We outline its capabilities here on our own website:

“Powered by NVIDIA Orin Nano, EAI T-mini Pro LiDAR, and Orbbec Dabai depth camera, the LIMO Pro robot delivers unparalleled environmental awareness for autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and visual recognition. With ROS 1 Noetic and ROS 2 Foxy compatibility, seamless software integration is at your fingertips. Enjoy an extended 2.5-hour battery life for uninterrupted research and experimentation. The ultimate platform for students, researchers, and enthusiasts, LIMO Pro offers a transformative learning experience with state-of-the-art sensors and software.”

There are actually two versions of the LIMO Pro: The ROS and ROS2 models. The first operates on ROS1 Noetic and ROS2 Foxy and features the Jetson Orin Nano 8G for onboard compute. The ROS2 model incorporates an Intel NUC i7 8G for processing, and runs ROS2 Humble. Because all versions of LIMO are multi-modal (ie Omni Wheel, Four-Wheel Differential steering, Ackermann steering and Tracked steering), they allow researchers to test algorithms and responses in all of these modes – providing learnings that could be applied to larger platforms.

“So you can basically simulate any larger robot’s locomotion with just a small compact package,” says Corbeth.

LIMO Pro and the original LIMO are also affordable, priced at $3200 USD and $2500 USD respectively.

We should also add here that there’s a cobot version of LIMO Pro available, which has a manipulator arm on top.

“This allows teams to learn how to do the basics of mobile manipulation and then, should you want to expand on that with greater capabilities, scale up. But all the basics are there,” he adds. The manipulator arm version sells for about $4500 US.

DOCUMENTATION

It’s one thing to purchase even a small robot like LIMO. It’s quite another to get up and running in the way your R&D requires. While LIMO and LIMO Pro can be operated straight out of the box, InDro is aware users might need some help along the way with specific tasks or coding. For example, how do you put a model of the LIMO into Gazebo for simulated missions? No problem – InDro offers comprehensive documentation for all the products we sell.

Plus, our documentation is constantly updated as researchers hit us up with questions and our engineering team finds the answers.

“Basically this is a compilation of knowledge-based pages that we’ve accumulated over the years at this point, answering pretty much any question clients have ever approached us with,” says Corbeth.

“This extends from software to our physical products as well. The LIMO documentation is really fleshed out – we cover everything from how to use it in a gazebo simulation to networking, how to do teleoperation, SLAM, obstacle detection, obstacle avoidance. We even have a series of quizzes that people can use to test their knowledge and improve their understanding of how to effectively use this technology.”

All LIMO clients have on-demand and free access to this documentation. Here’s a screen grab that provides an overview of some of the topics covered:

QUADRUPEDS AND MORE

Of course, different research requires different platforms. Increasingly, we’re seeing demand for quadrupeds – which are capable of handling more demanding terrain (including stairs). And here, too, we have solutions.

“When it comes to quadrupeds, they’ve historically had two downsides: They were closed-source – so unavailable for development – and they were horrifically expensive,” explains Corbeth.

That has changed. Unitree Robotics has set a new bar for affordable and reliable open-source quadrupeds ideal for research and development and, if your budget’s a little higher, real-world deployment for monitoring, surveillance, search and rescue, etc.

The company began with a very smart engineering student, Wang Xinxing. His vision was to build a quadruped using powerful but relatively inexpensive brushless motors. His university project in 2014-2015 focussed on building what he termed XDog (where “X” means mystery). He was successful and just kept on going – founding Unitree. To look at how incredibly quickly this company has progressed, it’s worth comparing two videos. The first is back from Wang’s university days (from a YouTube channel he still maintains). The second is the GO2, featuring the new wheeled option.

It’s quite the contrast, and Unitree products are constantly being upgraded.

AFFORDABLE

Unitree does produce some very high-end models for industrial purposes (and we’re happy to help you with those), but the emphasis in this piece is on affordable models suitable for R&D. And here, there are some options.

The GO2 EDU has been designed for R&D work.

“The whole point of the GO2 EDU is to reduce barriers to entry, both in terms of price and development potential. Obviously they’ve gone through multiple iterations of the system now and have refined it – like, really refined it,” says Corbeth.

“The core locomotion is really good, the onboard compute is extremely powerful, it has a number of pre-integrated sensors and there’s super elaborate documentation. Basically, it’s the penultimate entry point for quadruped development and there’s more than one model.”

Is it cheap? Well, if you look at the Unitree website you’ll see one model touted at $1900 USD. But that is not the dog we’re talking about; that model is built pretty much solely for entertainment and not suitable for R&D. But you don’t have to take a great leap from there to get into the quadrupeds researchers are interested in. There are three models that have been finding their way from InDro to research institutes; all come with LiDAR and excellent compute.

GO2 EDU
GO2 EDU Plus (improved compute)
GO2 EDU Plus Hesai XT16 (additional LiDAR)
GO2 W Plus (wheeled version)

“The educational versions are the ones our clients are most interested in because those are the ones that have improved hardware and the ability to be programmed,” explains Corbeth. “They also come with a really intuitive remote that allows you to see what the robot is seeing through its various sensors.”

Prices for the GO2 EDU line start at $13,900 USD and come with the full support of InDro and its extensive online documentation. All of these quadrupeds can be customised with accessories, including wireless charging, a robotic manipulator arm and even a small Point-Tilt-Zoom camera.

Researchers have done a lot of work with their own autonomy stacks and machine learning on the GO2 EDU line. Some have even adapted the quadruped as a service dog, capable assisting those with vision impairments or other disabilities. With the right software, these quadrupeds are even capable of identifying and pushing accessibility buttons on doors, so that’s both cool and useful.

NOT JUST R&D

Though this story focusses on budget solutions, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Unitree has an entire line of quadrupeds (and now, two humanoid models), suitable for higher budgets and real-world deployment. The GO2 comes in an ENT, or Enterprise version, which can be outfitted with gas sensors, emergency services lighting and other features suitable for Search and Rescue, surveillance and monitoring, etc. And if you have a factory or industrial setting requiring repeatable autonomous monitoring, you can get into products like the B2, a large and powerful robot so robust it’s can carry huge loads and is even capable of walking underwater.

These are a significant leap in cost and abilities from the GO2 EDU line, but are still highly competitive when compared with other products on the market. The difference is that products like the B2 have been purpose-built for the industrial sector and deployment in highly demanding conditions.

Here’s a look at the B2 (it looks a lot bigger in real life).

AND FINALLY, OUR ROS-BASED DRONE

Before expanding into the ground robotics space, InDro built itself on its advanced R&D work and specialized service provision with drones. That works still continues, and we offer a wide variety of products for Enterprise use, including search and rescue, medical deliveries and more. But we’re particularly excited about a new drone we’ve developed for R&D clients seeking an affordable, open-source drone for development.

“The concept behind the R&D drone is we went to the market and we tried to find the best available open source ROS-based drone. And we couldn’t find one.” says Corbeth. “So essentially what we’ve done is find a way to build one ourselves.”

For R&D researchers, access to an affordable and programmable flying platform is a big deal – especially since the programming protocol is the same as working with a ROS-based ground robot.

“A drone is essentially a flying robot in terms of the way developers interact with it,” he says. “The primary difference is that instead of wheels, tracks or legs, you’re using motors and propellers.”

And, of course, sensors depending on client needs. Our R&D drone comes with a depth perception camera for obstacle avoidance and unfamiliar environments, but can be outfitted with anything a client needs. One of our clients is using this drone for research and mapping in caves, so we outfitted that model with a mapping LiDAR.

“If you start to consider more complicated applications like landing on a moving vehicle or landing on a sea vehicle, where the the home point is constantly changing, that’s not something you can do with a DJI drone – but is certainly something you could do with this,” says Corbeth. “Introducing any amount of machine vision or AI on the drone is something you can do when it’s open source, but not possible when it’s closed source.”

In another example, we have one academic client using this drone for research in combination with a swarm of LIMOs.

“One Canadian university is actually teaming together the drones with LIMOs. They’ve purchased a number of LIMOs, they’ve purchased a number of drones, and they’re going to basically work on a large, coordinated ground-air swarm – where the drones and ground robots will be communicating with each other.”

Research like this, obviously has great implications for Search and Rescue, mapping – and even the future of delivery – where packages might be transferred between autonomous ground and air vehicles.

The ROS-based R&D drone sells for $11,900 USD and comes standard with depth perception, high-power onboard compute, and extensive documentation and support.

INDRO’S TAKE

While we often deal with large clients with large budgets, InDro will always retain its commitment to academia and others carrying out R&D with limited financial resources. And, as we’ve just outlined, we have multiple options that have proven a perfect fit for that category. From the LIMO through the GO2 line and our ROS-based drone, there are choices to suit pretty much any budget and research requirements.

“Clients in the academic and research world are incredibly important to InDro,” says Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Cutting-edge research frequently leads to new innovations that accelerate the industry-at-large. We also believe it’s important for these innovative tools to be available to students – who will become the next generation of R&D researchers and entrepreneurs. This is truly important to us, and supporting these people is firmly part of the InDro ethos.”

The other bonus here? Well, that would be Luke Corbeth. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about products, with as deep an understanding of research requirements and use-cases. Luke enjoys explaining our offerings, and – more than that – taking a deep dive into the client’s needs to ensure we can provide the perfect fit. And, trust us on this, he’s not the kind of person to push anything that isn’t the best solution.

You can contact Luke here.

From India to Area X.O: The ‘Long Journey’ of two InDro technologists

Sep 6, 2024 | InDro News, InDro Profile, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

The average annual temperature in India’s Gujarat state is 29° C – and that’s during the winter. In summer, it’s not uncommon to hit highs of 49°.

So you can imagine the shock when two teenagers from that state stepped off separate jets in Ottawa six years ago, just as a Canadian winter was setting in, to pursue careers in engineering.

Neither Ujas Patel nor Tirth Gajera, now valued members of InDro’s core team at Area X.O, had ever been abroad before, let alone out of their own state. And neither were highly proficient in English yet – though they had both studied in preparation to attend Algonquin College. Their native tongue was Gujarati.

For Ujas, his father – a mechanical engineer – had been the inspiration. Ujas was fascinated with what his father did, and spent several months working with him on projects to learn more about the field. His father, meanwhile, encouraged his son to study abroad, and specifically in Canada. The year was 2018 and Ujas started preparations – applications, studying English, student visas and other documentation – and figuring out which city to choose.

“I could have gone to Toronto or any other part of Canada, but I realized that in Ottawa there are not so many international students, and I wanted to live with Canadian people,” he recalls. “I wanted to learn what they do, how they live life.”

Tirth Gajera, meanwhile (who we’ll refer to as T going forward), was going through all the same preparations. T knew he was interested in aerospace or a related field, and had been encouraged by others to start with a mechanical engineering course abroad. Going to either the US or Canada were the best options. Things in the US were a little dicey at the time, so the choice became Canada – and specifically, the same institution that Ujas had chosen: Algonquin College in Ottawa. The two had never met.

And so, in November and December of 2018, each landed in the nation’s capital. And a challenging, at times gruelling, life-changing journey began for both of them.

Below: T and Ujas, on the days they left India for an uncertain future in Canada

A WORLD APART

If you’re not an immigrant, try to imagine the challenges of landing in a new country where you have virtually no connections – and not even a place to stay. You speak the basics of the language, but you’re by no means proficient. Absolutely everything is different: From the weather right down to the unfamiliar products in a grocery store. Picture also that you’re 17 or 18, and that this is your first-ever trip abroad – and that you are alone. To further complicate things, tuition, rent and the overall cost of living are high and you don’t want to burden your family back home (where the annual income is much lower than in Canada).

This is the reality Ujas and T faced on arrival in Ottawa.

T recalls meeting another young man from Gujarat at the Ottawa airport. The new friend was in transit, waiting for a friend to pick him up who would drive him to Montreal. T had no idea where he’d be spending the night. When the ride for his friend arrived, T told them “I don’t know where to go.”

Luckily, the driver knew of another friend who might be able to help. He called him, and a stranger came and picked T up at the airport.

“He showed me around, and said ‘You can just stay with us for a week until you figure out something.”

Ujas, meanwhile, was also alone and trying to figure things out. Someone from Algonquin College had arranged a place for him to stay for just a few short days, but he was also on his own.

“I was the first in my whole family to come here to Canada,” he says (his sister has since moved to Kitchener and recently graduated as a Registered Nurse).

Ujas also knew, like T, that the cost of living was going to be a quantum leap from living at home in Gujarat. He’d have to find an apartment, pay utilities and public transport, buy groceries. All in a strange new world. Plus, both young men knew they’d have to find work to pay for their studies. The cost was high, and it was a burden neither wanted to shift back to relatives at home.

“I could not ask my parents to pay for my tuition fees because as international students, we were paying like $8000-$9000 for each semester,” says Ujas. So they would have to find work.

SECOND THOUGHTS

Not surprisingly, there were frequent calls home in those early days. Both felt alone, and connection with their families was a crucial thread that helped keep them going at the beginning.

“I used to talk to my parents and close relatives every day or every other day,” says T.

In addition to the stress of feeling like strangers in a strange land, there was also the weather to cope with. T had bought what was billed as a winter jacket back in India. But the winters in India were so mild that the jacket afforded barely any protection. One night, early into his stay and feeling low, T donned his jacket and prepared for a walk. While the temperature wasn’t bad by Ottawa standards, maybe -1°C, in that jacket he was freezing. He felt bleak.

“I stepped out of my house,” he recalls. “And I walked for about 500 metres and I started crying. I was like: I want to go back to India. This is too cold. I might just die here. The experience was definitely kind of hard, I can’t even explain it in words.”

Understandably so. But T and Ujas would push on, finding work and preparing separately for their first semester studying at Algonquin College.

“And then,” says T, “it all started coming together. I started going out, started meeting people, things like that.”

Below: T (l) and Ujas after meeting at Algonquin College.

SCHOOL-WORK BALANCE

Ujas and T would meet for the first time on the first day at Algonquin College during orientation. Both were enrolled in the three-year Mechanical Engineering Technology course. They hit it off immediately and would become not only fast friends, but part of each other’s mutual support system.

The courses were challenging and very much hands-on. There were about 26 hours of lectures and labs per week, plus assignments that had to be completed daily. As anyone who has taken engineering knows, the workload is punishing. But there was also that crushing cost of living, which could not be ignored. So both Ujas and T took part-time jobs on top of their classes. Both became, initially, “junior sandwich artists,” making subs at Subway and Firehouse Sub franchises.

“That was my first job,” says T. “And all of my colleagues were Canadians.”

During breaks between semesters, both would cram in as many hours as possible to earn money.

“I used to work 60-70 hours a week just to just to get my fees done so that I didn’t have to ask my parents to send me money here,” says Ujas.

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE

When classes were on, school had to be the priority. The pair hadn’t come halfway around the world just to work; that was simply a financial necessity.

“I had to manage my all assignments, had to make sure I was doing well in my studies. But at the same time I had to make the money to pay for my place, my rent, my food, everything.”

Both T and Ujas immersed themselves at Algonquin College, and were soon working on complex projects together. They built a basic semi-autonomous vehicle, which with limited sensors could explore an unfamiliar room. They created a pneumatic system that duplicated how the doors on Ottawa’s public transit buses worked. They learned hands-on work with electrical and mechanical components, coding, and more. Both excelled in their studies.

The program was supposed to include a co-op section, where students would build on their skills (and earn money) working with a real company. And then, of course, COVID hit.

“This was a tragedy,” says T. “We were doing interviews for the co-op placements and then the pandemic came along. The school said: ‘You’re not doing co-ops or anything. You’ll all just have to stay home.'”

T found a job with a call centre; a job he could carry out from home. He worked there for eight months, a position that really helped him improve his English. Ujas worked at a gas station. Then, finally, it was back to courses at Algonquin for the completion of their degrees.

Below: Ujas on graduation day, followed by a trip to Quebec City. His dog’s name is Loki. T enjoys playing guitar when he’s not at the office

TEAM INDRO

A few months after graduating, Ujas happened to see a job posted by Invest Ottawa. It was with InDro Robotics. He came in for an interview with Engineering Manager and Robotics Engineer Arron Griffiths (MSc).

Arron saw a potential fit, and offered Ujas the position. He would also become a mentor, helping to fill in knowledge gaps and supporting him with learning many new skills. This was his first-ever job in his chosen field, and soon – with support from Arron – he was working on complex robots. He also obtained his Advanced RPAS Certificate, and was selected to be the second pilot (working with Eric Saczuk) on a highly complex mission in Montreal for the National Research Council.

The mission was to measure urban wind tunnels – and involved flying a heavy industrial drone equipped with dual anemometers between buildings, Beyond Visual Line of Sight, and over people.

“Flying a drone is easy,” says Ujas. “But when it comes to flying a drone over people and between the buildings of Montreal, that’s really hard.”

Ujas has had a hand in pretty much all the high-level projects at InDro, including custom robots for clients and many of the InDro innovations. He’s also InDro’s go-to for building when orders come in (as they frequently do) for InDro Commander. He’s also worked on several InDro projects that involved manipulator arms.

Two and half years after joining InDro, it’s been a terrific fit.

“Arron tells me I’m like a completely different person when it comes to skills from the person who started here,” says Ujas. “He has played a major role for me. The experience I have, the amount of knowledge I now have, it’s all because of him. Plus, CEO Philip Reece and Vice President Peter King have always been supportive mentors.

“I can say I’m really proud of the work I’ve done here. “

AND T?

T found work with two large companies after graduating. But the work, which involved overseeing manufacturing lines and doing technical troubleshooting, wasn’t that satisfying. He was more interested in software – and greater challenges. Ujas, meanwhile, saw an opening at InDro and T was introduced to Arron. Once again, Griffiths spotted potential synergy. So did T.

“The job was an amalgamation of electrical, mechanical and software. And I thought, yes, this is going to be a good fit.”

And it was. Soon, again with Arron’s guidance, T was taking on more and more complex projects. He also started offering ideas of his own, such as how to make a slimmed-down version of the original InDro Commander, which was a bit large on some platforms. He also came up with the idea of writing some code for networking that would enable InDro robots to operate over WiFi in addition to teleoperations. Pushing dense data through a SIM card can quickly add up costwise, and many of InDro’s academic clients are on limited budgets.

“All the robots that we had, all of them could only be connected to cellular,” says T. “But using a SIM card for data is expensive.” T thought the problem might be solved with writing code and flashing off-the-shelf routers to enable them to transfer data via WiFi.

“This eliminated the need of always having to go into a robot for development through a cable,” says T.

He also started the initial work on InDro Controller – the secure dashboard for remote operations and autonomous missions. And one robot, which had two manipulator arms, was pretty much a solo project for T.

“I did all the software, all the networking, all the hardware,” he says. “That was my first robot that I built from scratch.”

As with Ujas, T has played a significant role in multiple projects over his two years with the company and has become an integral member of the team.

“Ujas and T have come a long way since they walked in the door at InDro,” says Arron Griffiths.

“From the start, they’ve always been team players, eager to learn more skills and think of new solutions. They both have strong and positive work ethics and have really developed broader skillsets in multiple disciplines since arriving.

“They are both valued members of our team and a delight to work with. My gut sense about both of them at the time of hiring proved to be right.”

As for the young men from Gujarat?

T says it’s been a phenomenal workplace, always filled with new challenges and the opportunity to take on projects that appeal to him.

“Arron has never been: ‘Oh, you’re just a mechanical engineer so focus only on hardware.’ He’s never stopped me from working on things that appeal to me – and that has really helped expand my skillset and satisfaction working with InDro.

And Ujas?

“It’s been a long journey,” he says. “But a great one.”

Below: Ujas (bottom left) and T during a lighter moment with Stephan Tozlov, now Production Manager at InDro Forge

INDRO’S TAKE

It has, indeed, been a long and fruitful journey for Ujas and T. We could not be happier that they chose Canada – and that InDro chose them.

“Both T and Ujas are truly valued members of Team InDro,” says Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “They’ve grown with the company and made valuable contributions to many projects. The same kind of work ethic that drove them both during those early and difficult days in Canada is seen every day on the job at Area X.O. We couldn’t be prouder of them, and the journey they’ve made.”

We look forward to continuing our occasional series of profiles of InDro Robotics staff. Up next? Engineering Manager Arron Griffiths.

Stay tuned.

InDro Update: We’ve been busy, busy, busy

Aug 16, 2024 | InDro Forge, InDro News, InDro Solutions, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

It’s been a busy summer at InDro Robotics and InDro Forge.

Sure, people have had holidays. But in the R&D world, we don’t have the typical summer slowdown often enjoyed in other sectors. We’ve been busy building new robots, coding new software, carrying out demonstrations for VIPs, signing new contracts and continuing to push innovation boundaries at both our Area X.O and InDro Forge locations.

Area X.O, of course, is our engineering headquarters and the workplace for the bulk of our engineering team. But since we began operating InDro Forge last September, we have significantly expanded capabilities – including new hires. Formerly known as the Bayview Yards Prototyping Lab, InDro Forge (in collaboration with Invest Ottawa) is InDro’s prototype fabrication and integration centre. We take on both custom projects for clients, and also use the equipment and expertise to ‘forge’ much of what goes into InDro products.

And between them both? We’ve been busy, busy, busy.

There are a few projects that we unfortunately cannot reveal due to NDAs. But we can tell you we had a very successful demonstration recently of a quadruped with some amazing autonomy, AI and manipulative capabilities. Wish we could tell you more about that, but we just can’t. Yet.

So let’s get on with what we can talk about. And we’re going to start…with some incredible software we’ve built: InDro Controller.

INDRO CONTROLLER

We are very excited about this new software, completely coded in-house. It’s a complete solution to carrying out remote robotic missions, whether they’re manually teleoperated or fully autonomous.

“It’s an all-in-one data visualization, robot management and robot control software,” Front End Developer RJ Bundy explained earlier. “Whether you’re a student first learning how to use a robot or you’re a commercial giant, you’d be able to manage and maintain all of your robots.”

And yes, by that he means this product is completely robot-agnostic.

The InDro Controller software can be uploaded onto any robot. It can then be remotely and securely accessed by laptop or desktop, with all data encrypted. It automatically detects all sensors on board any UGV, and gives the operator complete control over customisation. Want to display thermal? LiDAR data? Need to zoom in on an object of interest? All of these functions – and many more – can be easily carried out remotely.

One of the features we particularly like is InDro Controller’s ability to remember things. Let’s say, for example, you wanted to plot an autonomous mission. With the display showing you a map of surroundings, you simply drive to a desired spot and perform a function. Suppose (as we’ve done), you wanted to stop, pan, tilt and zoom the camera to a specific object for inspection – something like a pressure gauge or other critical piece of infrastructure. Capture that image just once, and InDro Controller will remember exactly what you did and precisely where you did it. Then you move on to the next inspection point, where perhaps you’d like to capture thermal data.

During that first manual mission, every single action and location were saved. So when the time comes for your next run, you simply click the name of the saved mission and the robot (assuming you have GPS or SLAM autonomy onboard) will automatically carry out precisely what you did the first time. All you have to do is look over the data, or use change detection software to carry out that task on your behalf. You can save as many missions as you can come up with.

Speaking of autonomy, some of our clients carry out their own research and write their own software. For those who don’t, we have two InDro Autonomy stacks available:

“We have a GPS-based autonomy – which is better for outdoors – and then we have a SLAM- (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) based autonomy which is ideal for indoors,” says Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth.

There is also an Academic version available for those who wish to work with their own autonomy stacks. The entire interface is so easy to use, you can literally be up and running and minutes.

INDRO BUILDS, DELIVERS SWARM

There’s long been an interest in swarm robotics, but we’ve noticed an uptick of late.

The concept behind swarms is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A group of individual robots, carrying out tasks on their own while talking to each other, can accomplish far more in a given amount of time than a group of robots operating independently.

“The idea behind swarm robotics is the robots are able to communicate with each other and thus improve their decision-making and data acquisition in a given environment from a real world application standpoint,” explained Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth in this earlier post (which goes into considerable detail about the genesis and purpose of swarm robotics research).

For example, it would be vastly more efficient to scan the interior of a large building with four robots that are communicating with each other – ensuring no two robots cover any of the same space. In an aerial Search and Rescue operation, drones can more efficiently cover a large area as a coordinated team than four people piloting independently.

For research institutions, swarm research can be carried out very economically. As we posted earlier, Boston University has a large fleet of economical LIMO robots carrying out a wide variety of swarm-type research.

Below: The four swarm robots InDro recently built and shipped to a client.

ARMED AND READY TO GO

Don’t worry. When we say “armed” we’re talking about a robot with an arm. InDro is not – and never will be – involved in the weaponisation of its products.

In this case, an academic client wanted a robot that could carry out tasks requiring manipulation in a very specific setting. The client needed a platform that was easy to operate – and that would have a little extra height for the tasks it has in mind. Working closely with Luke Corbeth and the InDro engineering team, we built a custom robot to their specs. That included metal work carried out at InDro Forge in order to elevate the position of the arm.

“This was our latest mobile manipulation build – designed to do manipulation tasks inside greenhouses. The build is on Hunter SE platform with InDro Commander on board for easy sensor integration,” says Corbeth.

“The client plans on integrating its own existing sensors. We added a custom A-Frame to increase the effective height of the manipulator; the arm is the uFactory xArm6 – a highly capable and cost-effective ROS-based manipulator. They’ll be adding their own end effector suited for their research.”

Those into steering mechanisms might find this bit of interest:

“Typically we do these builds on the Ranger Mini – since omni-directional movement means fine adjustments to get into effective manipulation range – but they were keen on Ackermann for improved stability over long distances,” he adds.

It’s a one-off kind of project, something InDro often does for clients. And it’s definitely one-of-a-kind.

Here it is: Out, standing in its field.

SENTINEL V2

Team InDro (along with Team Forge) also designed and built a powerful new iteration of our flagship remote inspection robot, Sentinel. This is a heavy-duty machine intended for the demands of remote infrastructure inspection and monitoring/surveillance.

This was no small task. We integrated multiple powerful sensors, including ZED depth cameras, a 30x optical pan-tilt-zoom, along with multiple LiDAR units for both SLAM and avoiding obstacles and people. And its brains? We’re not sure what the equivalent IQ is, but this UGV is very smart. We integrated the most powerful compute power available from NVIDIA, the Jetson AGX Orin – a powerful 64GB developer kit. You want speed? It can carry out 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS). InDro Autonomy is embedded in Commander, and there’s a Realtime Kinematic (RTK) sensor for centimetre-level positioning accuracy. Oh, we also threw in a ZED BOX (NVIDIA Orin NX), which operates at 100 TOPS.

And the icing on top? It (of couse) works with InDro Controller, enabling users to easily plot and repeat highly detailed autonomous missions.

A CUSTOM, GROUND-UP BUILD

RealLife Robotics, a startup focusing on zero-carbon cargo and last-mile delivery, came to InDro with plans from its own engineering team for a new version of its core delivery UGV, BUBS. InDro Forge is its manufacturing contractor, and – in concert with the additional expertise of our Area X.O staff and in constant communication with the engineers at RLR – got to work.

Though the plans came from RealLife Robotics, every single component from the platform up was fabricated at InDro Forge and integrated by the InDro team – including custom frame, specialised brackets and mounting hardware, sensor integration, cargo bay and sleek exterior shell. That included using the BigRep ONE, a massive 3D printer capable of creating objects up to one cubic metre.

“We’ve built a full skeleton electronic system based on RLR’s designs and a suite of sensors to be able to do the autonomy, as well as an exterior shell that allows them to do remote, last-mile delivery,” says Joel Koscielski, Lead Manufacturing Engineer.

RealLife is currently on a stellar trajectory and is gaining a lot of investor traction. It was recently rewarded with significant funding from the Canadian Food Innovation Network through its FoodTech Next program. It had previously been demonstrating BUBS V1 across the country, and just unveiled the extremely capable new version at a high-profile event at the Toronto Zoo.

“Knowing that the fabricators at Forge have the same depth of engineering experience as our own team builds the trust you need to move fast and meet budgets for a project like this….. The fact they are also a Canadian tech startup and not far away is a bonus,” says RLR Founder and CEO Cameron Waite.

Below: The new BUBS, complete with Zebra wrap for the Toronto Zoo event

PEARS, CHERRIES, DRONES AND ROBOTS

While the bulk or our operations take place at Area X.O and InDro Forge, we’ve also been busy elsewhere. In this case, in British Columbia. There, we’ve been carrying out precision agriculture work in peach and cherry orchards. It’s part of an ambitious and innovative two-year project – a collaboration between InDro Robotics and the City of Kelowna (enabled with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agriculture Clean Technology Program).

But this isn’t just any precision agriculture project. Yes, we’re flying multi-spectral missions every two weeks over these farms, then drilling deep into the data to explore all parameters of crop health (chlorophyll levels, nutrients, any indicators of pests or disease etc.). That data provides valuable insights, explains Chief of Flight Operations Dr. Eric Saczuk (who holds a PhD in remote sensing and runs BCIT’s RPAS Hub).

“Is it healthy? Is it not healthy? Is it being productive? Is there chlorophyll? If so, how active is it?” he says.

“These are the kinds of questions we can answer when we do what we call ‘multispectral band combinations.’ And it gives us a really clear picture that cannot be detected by the human eye.”

What truly sets this mission apart is that it’s not just drones involved. InDro will be deploying ground robots, carrying out autonomous missions with their own multispectral sensors. We will then compare the view (and data) from the top-down and the bottom-up.

“This is a way of doing ground-based validation of what we’re seeing from the air,” says Dr. Saczuk.

Once that validation is complete, if there are any areas that require attention then precision spraying will be carried out by an Agras industrial spraying drone, and possibly by ground robots as well.

“Anything in agriculture, the more information you get, you’re not going to be worse off,” says Riley Johnson, a manager at Byrnes Farms – one of the two locations where the project is being carried out.

“Especially for new farmers coming into the industry, any new kind of information can help out ten-fold – particularly if you’re on new land. Any information outside of the Old Farmer’s Almanac is always appreciated.”

Below: Data from the Kelowna project, followed by an image of Dr. Saczuk with the Agras drone

WAIT, THERE’S MORE

We’ve also built a very sophisticated system involving a jacked-up industrial quadruped (where we’ve installed the InDro Backpack (a smaller version of InDro Commander), along with a manipulator arm and some very special capabilities. Unfortunately we can’t tell you much more about that one, due to NDA. But we can say we had a very successful demonstration for VIPs in late July. We also have another project, currently under wraps, that will set a new bar for autonomous exploration, scanning and mapping. More on that to come.

We also continued to elevate the capabilities of our Street Smart Robot, designed to detect anomalies along bike paths in winter. If the SSR’s AI senses potholes, ice, unexpected obstacles or generally anything that might impede safe cycling, that data can be relayed instantly to municipal maintenance crews. We completed the project and successfully demonstrated its capabilities at Area X.O this summer as well.

In addition, InDro’s Dr. Eric Saczuk and Pilot Jon Chubb helped support SkyScoutAI, an innovative company that’s set to be a game-changer in the detection of wildfires and the protection of critical infrastructure in cities threatened by this growing danger. The company has exclusive rights to an amazing fire suppressant product which can be sprayed with a drone tanker onto the roofs of buildings that may be at risk. What SkyScout is doing is pretty amazing, and it’s worth checking out this read. Dr. Saczuk was also busy this summer carrying out methane detection on behalf of Aerometrix in Michigan.

Come to think of it, I’ve been busy too. In addition to covering all the developments above, we’ve also started to profile some of the members of Team InDro and Team Forge who help us achieve the many things we do. You can take a dive into how we work with clients with this profile of Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth (who set up and ran his own auto-detailing business while in Highschool before making the leap to robots, drones and sales). And, ICYMI, we just published a feature on Forge Project Manager Stephan Tzolov. He nearly became a doctor, but was just too creative for that field. It’s really quite the story.

Below: Luke Corbeth and Stephan Tzolov

INDRO’S TAKE

As we said in the headline, it’s been busy, busy, busy. InDro people work hard, regardless of the season (but we do give them time off and reward their hard work). Looking at all of these builds and milestones and projects, we cannot help but be proud.

“The teams at InDro Robotics and InDro Forge are truly world-class,” says Founder and CEO Philip Reece.

“We are fortunate to have an incredible sense of shared spirit and collaboration – along with an amazing collective skillset. I couldn’t be more pleased with their accomplishments – along with the pride they take in their work. And, by the way, I work hard too,” he says with a grin.

We hope you’ve been enjoying your summer. And that you haven’t been quite as busy as we are.

InDro’s Stephan Tzolov: Next-level creativity

Aug 14, 2024 | InDro Forge, InDro News, InDro Profile, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

At InDro Robotics, our engineering team is known for being creative. That’s how we come up with innovative solutions – whether they’re inventions like InDro Commander or InDro Controller, or designing and integrating a ground-up robotic solution based on a client’s needs. That’s technical creativity – and every member of the InDro team has that skill in spades.

But there’s another type of creativity – one that involves a truly artistic sense of design; the ability to visualise a beautiful but functional form, design it, and bring it to life. When it comes to those kinds of tasks, we inevitably turn to InDro Forge Project Manager Stephan Tzolov. He’s truly gifted in this realm.

What makes his story particularly interesting is that he initially had plans to become a doctor – and studied biochemistry at Carleton University en route to that goal. He found the topic fascinating, but it was also somewhat dry. It involved (as you can imagine) a lot of memorisation of cold, hard facts – followed by more cold, hard facts. By the time he was in his third year, he was starting to wonder if this truly was his passion.

“I was pretty close to graduating, and I thought: ‘Oh my gosh, this isn’t it.’ It was fascinating, but it wasn’t fulfilling,” he recalls.

That’s when he started doing some soul-searching, and sat down with a good friend. In a nutshell, that friend told him something Tzolov intuitively knew: “‘You’re not built for medicine – you’re too creative for that.’ And then he showed me Industrial Design, and it really was a perfect fit, kind of mixing engineering with creativity.

“I thought: I’d rather be a little unhappy now than unhappy forever. So I pulled the plug.”

He switched to Industrial Design, learning everything from the basics (like how to sketch out an idea) through to a full complement of rendering skills and manufacturing techniques. He loved it, immersing himself in acquiring every possible skill to take something from an idea to a real-world product.

His eight-month capstone project in the course (completed during the peak of the pandemic) was designing and then manufacturing a fully functional propulsion system for SCUBA divers. These images are taken from his graduate presentation. (No, that’s not Stephan in the underwater shot – though people commonly make that assumption. In fact, Stephan deliberately chose someone who kind of looked like him for the image.)

DESIGN CAREER COMMENCES

Stephan’s work at Carleton was impressive. So impressive, that one of his professors (who had also become a mentor) told him he had a job waiting the moment he was done school. And so Stephan jumped in at Ottawa’s Studio 63, a small but award-winning design studio that, says its website, “helps businesses and entrepreneurs make some of the most futuristic and innovative products on the planet.”

If you think about it, virtually every single consumer product in the world (and, potentially, on other planets) involves Industrial Design. Whether it’s a coffee mug or a passenger jet, someone with Industrial Design chops is involved. At Studio 63, Stephan was involved in helping to design everything from high-end audio equipment and automobile features right through to – wait for it – sex toys. Most of these tasks involved not only working with clients on the form factor, where he could unleash his creativity with spectacular designs and renders, right through to electronics and integration.

Then, luckily for InDro, there was a fortuitous bit of synchronicity. InDro Engineering Lead Arron Griffiths knew the head of Studio 63. He had a design project for them which required a high-end shell for a very large ground robot. That robot was being produced for one of the world’s biggest tech companies, so it had to be *perfect.* (We’d love to tell you more, but can’t due to NDA).

Long story short, Stephan produced a shell so sleek and curvaceous and beautiful that it would look right at home in a Batman movie.

“The client loved it,” says Stephan. (In fact, this project turned into a multi-year contract with many of these robots produced, each one covered in that slippery, stealthy grey shell.)

HARD BODY VS SURFACE

In the engineering world, there are basically two styles of design: hard body and surface.

“So hard body – think of cubes and hard shapes,” explains Tzolov. “Surface modelling is more like organic, it’s more sculptural, it’s more soft. Think of the exterior of a car – it flows, it has a shape, there’s rarely a right angle. It’s all curvature.”

And that shell? Its design flows like a liquid.

Stephan’s abilities and personality impressed Griffiths. Right around that time, things had slowed a bit at Studio 63, partly due to the ongoing pandemic. Stephan’s boss gave him his blessings if he wanted to look around. Soon there was a conversation directly with Griffiths – who saw an ideal fit.

“Stephan was exactly the person we were looking for,” he says. “His shell design was outstanding, and he had exceptional knowledge of production techniques. Plus, he’s just a great person to work with.”

And so, two years ago, Stephan made the jump to InDro, hired as Production Engineer. His skillset quickly became apparent to the entire team. He was not only stellar at rendering, but knew how to take those renders to reality.

Below: A couple of Stephan’s renders – A B1 robot with the InDro Backpack, and an InDro holiday greeting card

THE FORGE CONNECTION

When InDro took over operations of what was known as the Bayview Yards Prototyping Lab (in collaboration with Invest Ottawa), our manufacturing capabilities took a quantum leap. InDro Forge is stocked with state-of-the-art tools for additive and subtractive manufacturing. We have a CNC machine, an OMAX water jet table, the BigRep ONE large format 3D printer – and a host of other machines and capabilities. Whether it’s producing prototypes or parts for clients, or manufacturing components for InDro Robotics projects, this facility has it all.

It was a perfect fit for Stephan. He already had expertise in multiple manufacturing techniques, and was eager to learn more. He moved over to the Forge facility with the new job title of Applications Engineer, and has since been promoted to Project Manager. He’s now overseeing the Big Picture, often working on the design and fabrication of parts and the integration of electronics and sensors, frequently hand-in-hand with the engineering team at Area X.O.

“The project management side covers things like organizing tasks, keeping keeping track of people’s capacity and who’s available for what at what time. So basically integration is what I’m covering. And when I delegate, I’m often delegating to myself.”

All, while working closely with Lead Engineer Arron Griffiths.

“There’s a lot of cross-pollination,” says Stephan.

But don’t worry, despite his promotion he still gets his hands dirty with all of the tools at Forge (though his hands stay pretty clean while carrying out renders).

ONE ROBOT STANDS OUT

Stephan has been integral to a lot of projects. That shell for the tech robot remains his highlight.

But one other project also stands out. Prior to Tzolov’s transition to InDro Forge, a client (another global tech company), wanted InDro to produce a robot capable of navigating in spaces crowded with people. It would be deployed in crowded spaces like boardwalks, malls – anywhere there were people around. It was part of a long-term project at that company about autonomous navigation and the human-robot interface. It also had to be tall, with sensors at roughly head height.

Stephan immediately got to work on the renders, as the client was under a tight deadline. But then something happened that made that deadline even more pressing: Engineering Lead Griffiths was taking a couple of weeks off to get married. And he had a tiny request before leaving: Could you please have the robot finished by the time I return?

The task would fall to Stephan, who would be lead on the project, working in conjunction with technologist Ujas Patel. The pair had worked closely together on the aforementioned large ground robot, and the synergy between the two of them was spectacular.

“We had worked shoulder-to-shoulder on that project and were very familiar with each other’s workflow,” says Stephan. “It’s almost like we communicate telepathically.”

Though he’s not a software expert, Stephan had the manufacturing and electro-mechanical chops for the task. In conjunction with Patel’s considerable skills, the two worked long (and we mean long) hours while Arron was away. The project had to be done. And, when the newlywed arrived back at the office, it was. What’s more, the client was unbelievable happy when it received the end product. Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth, who had put the deal together, received an absolutely glowing email from the client: They loved the design, the form factor, the functionality. It was, they said, perfect.

“That was just the cherry on top,” says Tzolov.

Below: Stephan working on the robot, under the gun. Image two: Stephan with Area X.O colleagues Ujas Patel (left) and technologist Tirth Gajera (also known in the shop as “T”)

A PERFECT FIT

Stephan Tzolov has had quite the journey. (If we want to go way back, he was born in Canada but spent his early years in Bulgaria. When he started school in Canada he spoke only Bulgarian.)

But we’re talking here more about his recent journey – that soul-searching decision to leave medicine and enter Industrial Design. It was exactly the right choice for Tzolov. His enthusiasm for seeing his creations come to life gives him tremendous satisfaction. He literally beams when describing how much he loves what he does.

“It’s freaking awesome,” he says.

“It’s so interesting when you have an idea – it almost becomes its own weirdly living thing. Creating something robotic on a design, mechanical and electrical level that lives and breathes wasn’t something I thought of doing before coming on board with InDro. I absolutely love making things. So this job is really cool. Actually, it’s the coolest ever.”

And those long hours that some projects involve? Not a problem. InDro recognises – and rewards – hard work.

“Arron has always taken care of me when it comes to work. It’s like, you work hard – and you get to rest hard. You put in crazy overtime and it gets noted, and you’re compensated in one way or another. There’s a mutual respect and appreciation for one another at InDro. I have never complained to my partner about work politics or interpersonal stuff, because there’s never any issue. Everyone here is on the same page.”

Below: That crowd-avoiding robot, completed to an exceedingly tight timeline

INDRO’S TAKE

Like all InDro employees, Stephan Tzolov is a valued team member. And like his colleagues, he has specific skills that contribute immensely to what InDro produces. We plan on profiling other members of Team InDro in the future, but wanted to take a moment to acknowledge Stephan’s particularly creative skillset.

“Everyone at InDro has specific strengths and knows how to work well in a team environment toward our common goals,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “That’s one of the things I believe truly sets InDro apart. Stephan’s creativity, along with his manufacturing knowledge and electrical and mechanical capabilities are a valuable asset to InDro Forge and InDro Robotics as a whole. I’m sure he would have made a great doctor, but we’re definitely pleased he opted for that career change.”

Every single InDro employee brings something special to the company. This time, it was Stephan’s turn to be highlighted. We look forward to introducing you to other members of Team InDro down the road.

InDro Robotics launches powerful new Sentinel UGV

Aug 14, 2024 | InDro Autonomy, InDro News, Scott Simmie, Sentinel

By Scott Simmie

InDro has taken the wraps off its latest innovation – the all-new Sentinel Uncrewed Ground Vehicle.

Sentinel has been built for inspection, remote teleoperation and surveillance over 5G and 4G networks. Its robust build has been designed to take demanding weather and ground conditions in stride, while capturing virtually any kind of data across a broad range of use-cases.

“That’s what really excites me about Sentinel,” says Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth. “It can be used across multiple verticals, ranging from remotely inspecting assets like electrical sub-stations, through to agriculture, mining and more. It’s a workhorse.”

We could list all the sensors and processors onboard (and we will), but it’s the synergy here that counts.

“Sentinel has been very purposely designed and integrated so that virtually anyone can carry out highly complex missions with ease,” explains InDro Vice President Peter King. “And with our InDro Autonomy stack onboard, Sentinel can carry out tasks completely on its own for up to four hours before returning to wirelessly recharge at its base.”

That workhorse is the result of a lot of R&D by our Area X.O engineering team – and also the logical step forward from our original Sentinel V1. That was our original design for remote teleoperated inspection.

But, as you likely know by now, at InDro the innovation never stops.

Below: The new InDro Sentinel, carrying out an autonomous mission

INDRO COMMANDER: SMARt AND VERsAtile

What truly sets Sentinel apart from the competition is the synergy of two innovations we’re quite proud of: InDro Commander and InDro Controller. And while Sentinel takes full advantage of these products, they are both robot-agnostic.

InDro Commander is a module that houses Sentinel’s brain – and allows for the seamless integration and power management of other sensors. With multiple USB slots and ROS1 and ROS2 libraries onboard, it makes modifying Sentinel a pleasure rather than a pain. You can, quite simply, plug in a new sensor and it will be detected; no complex coding or wiring required.

“Having Commander on board allows clients to easily modify their robots with different sensors for different applications. This is particularly appealing to those in the R&D community,” says Engineering Lead Arron Griffiths.

Commander also connects with 5G at near-zero latency for remote teleoperations or monitoring dense data during autonomous missions.

“Whether it’s 4G, 5G or WiFi, it does it all,” he adds.

With two state-of-the-art EDGE processors onboard, Commander also has the compute power and AI to take on anything. For autonomy, we’ve integrated the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin – a powerful 64GB developer kit. It’s capable of AI calculations at the astounding speed of 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS). Our InDro Autonomy Stack is embedded in Commander for precision autonomous missions. We’ve also outfitted Sentinel with a Realtime Kinematic (RTK) sensor for centimetre-level positioning accuracy.

The other EDGE processor is the ZED Box, which contains an NVIDIA Orin NX (100 TOPS). This carries out multiple tasks, but is specially built to work with depth-perception ZED cameras. There are two of these cameras on board Sentinel, used for AI obstacle detection and avoidance.

Below: A LiDAR-equipped InDro Commander module

INDRO CONTROLLER AT THE HELM

InDro Controller is our custom-built dashboard, and it’s been designed to match perfectly with InDro Commander for an exceedingly powerful but user-friendly means of programming and monitoring missions, robot health, sensor data and more. Operators can easily customize to get precisely the layout they want.

“The dashboard, the cameras, the heads-up display on the autonomous missions – those all can be customised,” says Front End Developer RJ Bundy. “We’re also adding other personal user customisations, like a light and dark mode, metric conversion, schedule missions – all the kinds of features you could want.”

The software resides in Commander and is accessed remotely via an encrypted login system. No one will ever see your missions and data except you – and those you grant the same secure access. (Yes, multiple users can simultaneously monitor a remote operation from locations across the country or across the globe.)

“We’ve created an interface that makes it very hard for a third party to intercept any of those commands or the data coming from the robot to you,” says Bundy.

And while it’s a perfect fit with Sentinel, InDro Controller can be used with any robot.

“It’s an all-in-one data visualization, robot management and robot control software,” he adds. “Whether you’re a student first learning how to use a robot or you’re a commercial giant, you’d be able to manage and maintain all of your robots.”

He’s not kidding. You can intuitively control Sentinel – or any other robot – using an Xbox controller. We’ve done demonstrations more than 4,000 km away from Area X.O where we’ve simply put a controller in someone’s hands. With imperceptible lag, they’re able to operate the robot. (Plus, you can customise the buttons for specific sensor features like pan, tilt, zoom, etc.)

Autonomous missions – including complex actions like stopping at a precise location, tilting a camera to a gauge and then zooming in and capturing the readout – are easily plotted using Controller. Once your mission has been set with multiple waypoints and actions, it’s a single click to repeat it. (And, of course, you can save as many different missions as required.)

The InDro Autonomy stacks are pre-loaded, meaning location doesn’t really matter.

There are actually two versions of InDro Controller available; a simpler version is still full-featured but does not ship with InDro Autonomy, meaning it’s ideal for those in the R&D space who want to test their own autonomy software. Several academic institutions have already been using this version, and feedback has been excellent.

And the best news? Both versions will only become even more sophisticated over time.

“We’re heavily invested in continuously improving the software,” says Corbeth. “So regardless of which version you’re shipped, know that this is something that InDro Robotics is constantly developing and improving with client feedback in mind to ultimately provide the best mission planning, teleoperations and development software tool in the robotics industry.”

Below: A screenshot from InDro Controller, showing the path of an autonomous mission; the second image shows realtime data flowing through its customizable dashboard

LONG DURATION, REPEATABLE MISSIONS

It’s already clear Sentinel has the brains. But it also has the brawn to match. Whether the task is inspection, surveillance or other forms of data acquisition, Sentinel has been designed from the ground up to consistently deliver. Featuring a 1500-watt dual drive system and tracks for locomotion, it’s ready for any terrain – from industrial environments through to farm fields and even snow and ice.

With a 120kg load capacity and 30° climbing angle, Sentinel can power its way over pretty much anything. We’ve even designed and manufactured custom metal guards to prevent stones from getting their way between the drive gears and the treads – a common issue with tracked vehicles.

That strength is supplemented by a comprehensive array of sensors for obstacle detection, Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM), high-resolution photos and video – and more.

ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM

For starters, there’s a 30x optical Point-Tilt-Zoom camera that can be manually operated via the InDro Controller UI. Every time the pilot stops and captures data, all of that information – robot position, camera angle, zoom settings etc. are stored as a Point of Interest. All of those POIs from that initial manual mission are saved, meaning the next time Sentinel is deployed the operator can simply recall the mission and launch Sentinel for an autonomous run.

In fact, we recently did a demo of Sentinel for a government official. We had previously captured photos of five different objects on a path at Area X.O and had saved that mission. During the demo, the robot deployed and autonomously stopped at all five locations, replicating the original shots. This is the kind of feature that’s exceedingly helpful for spotting anomalies, change detection, etc. Of course, the built-in AI can also identify people, cars, trucks, etc. (In fact, we could set Sentinel to trigger an alert if a human is spotted somewhere they’re not supposed to be, a useful feature for both safety and security applications.)

For the operator, whether they’re manually piloting or simply monitoring an autonomous mission, four pinhole cameras provide a 360° view of surroundings for situational awareness. Two ZED 3D depth cameras (one at the front, one at the rear) are on the constant lookout for obstacles. As an additional layer of safety, engineers added two 2D safety-rated LiDAR sensors specifically for detecting people or other objects that might unexpectedly move into Sentinel’s path. If that happens, the robot will automatically stop, then seek an alternate path around the person or object. (It can also be set to simply go to a dead stop.)

Sentinel is also outfitted with two powerful Robosense 3D LiDAR units, enabling it to operate in GPS-denied environments, capture precision scans – and basically understand even a completely unfamiliar environment. Robosense has become our LiDAR of choice, for the reasons outlined in this recent post.

Below: InDro recently built and shipped this fleet for swarm robotics research; all are equipped with Robosense LiDAR units

WIRELESS SELF-CHARGING

Using Sentinel for remote ops? Many of our clients will be. And there’s not much point in deploying a robot at a remote location if someone has to go and plug it in to charge or run diagnostics.

Sentinel returns autonomously to its home base, where a wireless charger awaits. The robot understands where it needs to position itself for optimal charging, snugging up close to (but not touching) the induction charging system. Many remotely operated robots rely on making a mechanical connection with charging equipment, which introduces wear-and-tear and additional points of failure.

“Mechanical charging systems fail a lot, and we wanted to avoid that,” explains InDro VP Peter King.

InDro Controller also carries out diagnostics remotely, reporting back on parameters such as latency, battery strength, sensor connection and other indicators of overall robot health. The operator can literally be hundreds (or even thousands) of kilometres from the robot and see its condition with a quick glance at the UI.

“Sentinel can be customised for any client directly by us,” says Engineering Lead Arron Griffiths. “But having Commander on board allows clients to easily modify their robots with different sensors for different applications. This is particularly appealing to those in the R&D community.”

Below: On the shoulders of giants – the original Sentinel V 1.0. InDro has incorporated new AI compute power, sensors and other learnings to take a massive leap forward

INDRO’S TAKE

The new Sentinel is more powerful, and more suitable to broader use-cases, than our first version of this robot. Don’t get us wrong; the original Sentinel was (and still is) a great machine. But this version is equipped with more powerful EDGE processing, and AI with greater capabilities. It’s also laden with additional and newer sensors, RTK positioning, and a more powerful base platform.

“The new Sentinel is a perfect fusion of industry-leading hardware and software – including InDro Commander, and the new InDro Controller and InDro Autonomy stacks,” says Indro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Our engineering team has put a lot of thought into making this robot capable of highly complex missions – yet easy to use and modify. Sentinel will be a perfect fit for multiple verticals and use-cases, and we look forward to our first deployments.”

Want to learn more about Sentinel – or even arrange to take it for a remote test drive? You can contact Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth here.

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