InDro Robotics positions itself for the next phase of growth trajectory

InDro Robotics positions itself for the next phase of growth trajectory

Dec 4, 2024 | InDro Forge, InDro News, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

We’ve just hired more bright people at InDro Robotics: Four engineers in total, with another one coming soon.

That’s a significant investment in our staff, and in our company. And while we’ll introduce a few of them here, this post isn’t really a “get to know you” story. It’s a broader narrative about growth, strategy and trajectory.

If you follow InDro Robotics (and presumably that’s why you’re here), you’ll know we’ve grown from a startup to a what’s known as an SME – a Small to Medium Enterprise. You’ll also know that our motto is: Invent, Enhance, Deploy.

That is, and will continue to be, our ethos. We invent our own products and market them – and build custom robots and drones for clients (including for some of the biggest technology companies on the planet). We also do highly specialised service provision and run the Drone and Advanced Robotics Testing and Training Zone (DARTT) at Area X.O, where clients can test robots on a course that meets the demanding criteria set out by NIST, the US-based National Institute of Standards and Technology. The drone section features a large netted enclosure, allowing operators to carry out training or even test drones with new technologies without the need for a Special Flight Operations Certificate from Transport Canada. It’s a very cool facility.

At our Area X.O engineering headquarters, we’ve grown from three engineers a little over three years ago to a staff of 20 (in addition to other operations elsewhere in Canada). Because so many components come into our shop – and so many robots go out – we have a full-time Supply Chain Manager and Logistics Coordinator. We have a Head of R&D Sales. And, of course, we have InDro Forge – a full-service rapid prototyping and limited production run facility that has every high-end fabrication tool you could think of (including a 3D printer capable of printing at volumes of up to one cubic metre).

It has been a steady and calculated growth trajectory so far, says Engineering Manager Aaron Griffiths:

“It’s been very strategical,” he explains. “We’ve been looking for robustness and longevity rather than speed.”

And – up until now – that growth has been reflective of our core tasks: Building custom products for clients and inventing our own products.

We’ve done that very well – and will continue to do so. But the long-term InDro roadmap has always included more. And we have now reached that stage.

Below: Team InDro at the opening of DAART in June of 2023

Area XO DARTT

INVENT, ENHANCE, MANUFACTURE

 

InDro has created some landmark products in recent years – with more to come. We can’t discuss all of them due to NDAs. But some public highlights that immediately come to mind include InDro Commander, InDro Pilot, InDro Controller, our Sentinel remote inspection robot, and much more.

Most of what was just mentioned are InDro innovations – meaning we have invented or developed these products with clients in mind, but not specifically as one-off projects. In other words, they have been built with an eye to actually producing and selling these products at scale.

Don’t get us wrong, we have certainly sold each of these products. But we’ve now reached a stage where demand – as planned – dictates that we expand in order to be able to run as a manufacturing facility while still retaining our ability to build custom robots and drones.

“If you want to turn out 10-20 robots over a few months, that requires a whole production team,” explains Griffiths. “That would be an additional five to 10 people just to do that kind of work.”

And not just a production team. As we continue to deploy more robots in the field, InDro now sees the need to start expanding our team to include Field Engineers.

“So you need a production team to make the things – and then a field engineering team to maintain and run them on client sites,” he adds.

 

FIELD ENGINEER

 

Our first Field Engineer hire is a familiar face to InDro. Liam Dwyer, who graduated from Queen’s University Canada in June of this year with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, previously carried out a 16-month co-op placement with InDro at Area X.O. But he’s heading into a very different role, suited to InDro’s growth.

“I’m going to be an on-site support and integration person to either get the client set up with the robot, supported with the robot, or to repair robots that may have been either damaged or just need maintenance,” he says.

He also recognizes the significance of his role in the bigger picture.

“I think the fact this title now exists at InDro really shows a lot of growth as a company. The fact there is now a full-time role to move and support these robots really means that the reach of InDro has gone pretty far – the name has gotten out.”

It’s also – both for Dwyer and InDro – a perfect fit.

“I’m a big fan of travel and I like field work, so I’m very excited for it,” he says. “It really puts a lot of emphasis on your individual ability to solve the problem and produce a solution. I was able to do some field work during my placement here, and I really like this kind of challenge.”

There are already plans for a second Field Engineer hire. And that’s on top of three other recent hires at InDro, including the highly experienced Steve Weaver in the senior position of Embedded System Engineer. He’s been in this space for some 25 years.

“Steve has been hired as a senior engineer for his wisdom,” says Griffiths. “He knows what to do and – just as important – knows what not to do.”

He’s joined by Nathan Sun, who has less long-term experience but has been working with all of the latest and greatest tools in AI and brings a fresh approach to things. Sun is also an Embedded Systems engineer, and should make the perfect work partner for Weaver.

“Nathan is the other side of the coin to Steve,” says Griffiths. “Together they’ll make a great team because they complement each other very well.”

That’s not all. Just prior to these three new hires, InDro also brought Sebastian Mocny on board in the role of Robotics Software Engineer. He’s currently busy taking Cypher Robotics‘ Captis cycle-counting AMR to the next level. InDro has an incubation agreement with Cypher Robotics, which also taps into the expertise and gear at InDro Forge. So that’s four engineers in short order, with more to come.

Below: New hire Liam Dwyer (R) during his co-op at Area X.O, with Tirth Gajera

Liam Dwyer and Tirth Gajera

BUILDING A TEAM

 

It’s been quite a voyage at Area X.O, with a lot of growth over the past few years. All of the hires go through Founder and CEO Philip Reece, as well as Vice President Peter King. But it’s generally Arron Griffiths who has to ultimately determine if prospective employees will be a fit for the Area X.O team culture InDro has worked so hard to foster (and where Griffiths works daily).

With a very low attrition rate and high job satisfaction, InDro is clearly selecting the right people – and building the right environment.

“It’s really all about personality,” say Griffiths. “It boils down to people’s mental state, their values. I would argue that if they’re driven, if they’re kind, if they’re a proactive learner, if they have empathy…the qualities you look for in a nice person are typically what you’ll find in a good and productive employee.”

One of the big projects for next year will be the push to manufacture the recently-announced InDro Cortex. It’s a small but exceedingly powerful brain box for computer customisation that allows for rapid sensor integration and contains power management for multiple sensors along with ROS2 files. The Plug & Play (or Plug & Work) device follows on the incredible success of InDro Commander – and there’s already impressive demand. It also enables teleoperation and is the perfect match with InDro Controller – our intuitive dashboard for even highly complex autonomous missions.

And while we’re proud of the engineering work that has gone into Cortex, Griffiths says products like this “stand on the shoulder of giants” in the engineering world. And here, he’s referring to the tremendous advances in AI compute and other technologies that allow Area X.O engineers to truly work with the most advanced tools available.

“We have good and talented engineers,” explains Griffiths. “but we are definitely aware that other engineers out there have helped enable us to be on the leading edge of things. We’re hitting that very sweet spot in terms of technology maturity that’s enabling us to do this right.”

Below: InDro Cortex

 

InDro Control Module ICM Cortex

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re obviously pleased to announce these four new hires – and to welcome these talented individuals to our team. We are equally proud to have reached a stage where we’re in the position and have the name recognition to forge ahead into manufacturing at greater scale. It’s a testament to the dedication of all of our employees – including administration, sales, logistics, marketing and management. (Oh yes, and content, too.)

“As we prepare to push into manufacturing and dedicated employees for onsite customer field support, I’m grateful to everyone for their hard work – and to our clients as well,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece.

“And to those clients who have relied on us in the past for custom solutions? Don’t worry. We’ll still be doing that with the same care and attention to detail. This simply marks a new expansion into manufacturing for InDro, which will continue to put significant resources into custom builds and R&D. Onward.”

Interested in exploring a solution from InDro? You can contact Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth right here. He’s incredibly knowledgeable and loves nothing more than helping clients find the perfect solution.

YouTube’s Hacksmith Industries creates “cyborg” with Indro Robotics arms

YouTube’s Hacksmith Industries creates “cyborg” with Indro Robotics arms

Nov 29, 2024 | Dave's Armoury, Hacksmith Industries, InDro News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

You’ll have fun with this story – we promise.

That’s because it involves engineering, entertainment – and a use-case you’ll have to see to believe. Specifically, it involves integrating a set of robotic arms onto a human being. A cyborg, if you will.

This is not the kind of work we do at Indro Robotics (though in the distant future, who knows?). But it is precisely the kind of work the engineers at Hacksmith Industries carry out all the time.

If you’re into engineering, wild builds and superheroes, odds are you’re familiar with their outrageously successful YouTube channel. Perhaps you’re even one of its 15.1 million – and counting – subscribers. As its website explains, “We make it real. We take ideas from the worlds of movies, TV, games, and comics to make real working prototypes! We make the impossible into reality every day.”

And they do.

Think of things like Thor’s hammer, from the Marvel Entertainment franchise. Or maybe Captain America’s shield. These are objects that the geniuses at Hacksmith create using solid engineering – combined with wry humour. The entire projects, from beginning to end, are documented on video and posted to YouTube, where they are tremendously popular. So popular, in fact, that Hacksmith Industries has grown from a small garage-based outfit to a full-fledged enterprise – with its own expansive facility and studio and now 20 employees. Not bad for content creators.

And to help with that content (not that Hacksmith needs the push), here’s an example of what they do: In this case, summoning Thor’s hammer. (And if you like this one, and we’re sure you will, there’s an entire series of other Thor’s hammers to keep you entertained).

THE BACKSTORY

 

Every Marvel or DC superhero has an origin story. And so too does Hacksmith industries.

It began with two guys – James Hobson and Ian Hillier. They were both builders/makers when they were younger. And in high school, the pair mused about someday working together. That would have to wait, however. Both attended Conestoga College in Ontario’s Kitchener, where they each graduated with a B. Eng. in Mechanical Systems Engineering in 2012.

And after that? Well, explains Hillier, they both took “standard nine-to-five engineering jobs.”

But while they were doing that, the pair worked together on their own projects for fun. And Hobson started making videos for YouTube. He grew that channel to about 60,000 subscribers and was clearly enjoying what he was doing. So he decided to quit work and produce videos full-time.

“And shortly after, I got jealous and quit my job and then joined him,” says Hillier.

With 60,000 subscribers, this wasn’t sustainable in terms of income – at least not without a huge leap in viewership. But they both had their eyes on that eventual prize and continued to push. They also found that doing builds related to superhero powers and other popular action/sci-fi zeitgeist seemed to really bring in views. The turning point, when they realised this could actually be a thing, was when two videos related to Captain America’s shield went viral.

And the rest, with a lot of hard work, is history.

“As we started posting more and more content…somehow that turned into what it is today,” says Hillier. “When I quit my job back in early 2016, I was just kind of thinking: Hey – I want to do this full-time. I wasn’t thinking: ‘Oh, let’s run one of the largest YouTube channels in Canada and let’s have a giant team, a giant facility.’ We do some incredible things here.”

That’s very true. Here’s one of those first viral videos – which Hillier says was one of two shield vids that opened the door to what Hacksmith Industries has become. You’ll note that in addition to the entertaining nature of the video, there’s also some good technical explanation, including how increasing the voltage ramped up the power of the electromagnet significantly. The tech explanations are part of each and every video, and clearly appeal to the inner geek in all of us.

THE INDRO CONNECTION

 

Many of us at InDro were already familiar with the channel, and Head of Engineering Arron Griffiths is a big fan. But a few members of the Hacksmith team were also somewhat familiar with InDro. In fact, Hacksmith Industries purchased some Unitree quadrupeds from InDro. Plus, InDro had done work with engineer Dave Niewinski, who also works frequently with the Hacksmith team.

But things really got rolling when InDro Vice President Peter King had a tour of the Hacksmith headquarters in Cambridge Ontario. What he saw led to a discussion about possible collaboration. And – fitting with the cool and unusual genre that appeals to Hacksmith team – it was eventually agreed that InDro would supply a pair of robotic arms, which Hacksmith would then attempt to integrate onto a human being.

The concept was somewhat reminiscent of Otto Octavius, also known as Dr. Octopus, from the Spider-Man franchise, along with other multi-armed characters. So that was also a fit. The arms have six degrees of freedom (DOF), which is considered full articulation. That includes three rotational movements (rotating the arm itself, twisting and tilting) and all three linear movements (up/down, left/right, forward/back).

But how do you get robotic arms from the box to functioning on a person? The answer, it turns out, is hard work – including coding, creating a mountable external power supply that looks cool, and a lot of trial and error.

Overseeing the task fell to Charles Holtforster, the team’s Mechatronics Engineering Designer. A graduate of the University of Waterloo in Kitchener, Holtforster did two Co-op placements with Hacksmith while studying engineering and received an offer to be hired upon graduation. He’s been with the outfit since 2020.

“It’s certainly the best job I ever imagined – and it’s not something I ever really dreamed I’d be able to do for a full-time position or a career,” he says. “But, four years later, here we are.”

One of the first things Charles did when this project landed in his lap was to contact Dave Niewinski. Dave is also an engineer who has worked frequently with Hacksmith Industries, and is something of a specialist in robotic arms. He’s also the brains and the face behind Dave’s Armoury, a growing YouTube channel that highlights Niewinski’s own creations.

Dave did the coding to enable control of the arms via an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset and controllers. That meant a second person (Charles) would be responsible for holding those controllers and moving the arms where they needed to go (which resulted in some comedy gold). You’ll see that in a moment. You’ll also see that you can’t simply throw a set of arms on a person; a lot of work went into the right form factor for integration, as well as a power supply that would not only do the job but look Hacksmith-y slick.

 

R&D

 

The Hacksmith videos are all really fun. And while we have fun at our Area X.O headquarters, we’re generally working on either R&D for our own products or creating custom robotic solutions for clients. Hacksmith carries out a very different kind of R&D on its own projects, but totally gets the value of more conventional research and development.

“R&D is definitely essential and very, very important,” says Hacksmith Co-Founder Ian Hillier. “Without R&D, there’s no progress.”

Figuring out how to mount a pair of robotic arms on a human is definitely a form of R&D. But is there potentially a use-case? We put that question to Hillier.

“I think humanoid robots are are coming – so on the humanoid robot front I’d say yes,” he says. In fact, Hacksmith plans to do exactly that on a forthcoming video, integrating InDro’s arms with the bipedal Unitree robot you’ll see at the close of the video.

But what about a person?

“As for augmenting humans, I think that’s possible, but in very specific circumstances,” he says. “As an example, someone who has a limb difference. Having prosthetic hands is a perfect example. Or having an exoskeleton that could help with mobility or lifting heavy things.”

Did he say prosthetics? Limb differences? We’re glad he did. Because it reminded us of our personal favourite Hacksmith video. In this one, the team built a flashy prosthetic hand for a young UK YouTuber who was born without a fully-formed left hand. But it wasn’t just flashy; it was a state-of-the-art and fully functional prosthetic. And the team not only adapted it in the style of that YouTuber’s favourite game – they gave it to the young man.

It’s truly a moving video, and one that tells us something else about the Hacksmith team. We’ll drop that video here – right after the one showcasing the robotic arms supplied by InDro.

 

INDRO’S TAKE

 

While we’re not sure when – if ever – there will be human cyborgs with robotic arms, we enjoyed this collaboration with Hacksmith Industries.

“The entire InDro Robotics team really enjoyed the video – and seeing R&D from a very different perspective,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Hacksmith Industries clearly has some top-level engineering talent. I’d say they’re the kind of people InDro likes to hire – which is true – but we’d have to significantly up our video game, and start leaning more toward superheroes. That’s not likely to happen, but this was a truly entertaining collaboration for us.”

One more thing. We forgot to mention that Hacksmith Industries has developed a very cool line of tech-related toys and tools. You can check out their line here.

And if you happen to be in the market for robotic arms – or anything else robot-related – we have an online store coming early next year. You don’t have to wait for that, however. You can check out our full line of accessories right here. (PS: The NVIDIA Jetson Orin AGX Developer Kit makes for a great stocking stuffer.)

Meet InDro’s Engineering Manager Arron Griffiths: Roboticist & Foodie who’s learned from failure

Meet InDro’s Engineering Manager Arron Griffiths: Roboticist & Foodie who’s learned from failure

Nov 1, 2024 | Engineering, InDro News, InDro Profile, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

Looking for some authentic British fish & chips in the Ottawa area?

Well, come next spring there’s going to be a new food truck in town. “Spuds & Stuff” will offer fish & chips, poutine – plus some surprises not yet on the menu. The truck is being outfitted right now (well, not specifically ‘right’ now) and the plan is for it to be ready to go by then. It will also offer gluten-free fish & chips.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of all? The person behind the counter will be our Engineering Manager, Arron Griffiths.

“There’s actually a British Canadian flag on my food truck to symbolise it’s a British guy in Canada with his Canadian wife making, you know, homestyle fish and chips,” he says.

It’s symbolic not only of his love of cooking and food, but also his approach to life: Pursue your dreams, whether that’s robotics, cooking and meeting people – or a balance of both.

“I’m chasing, I’m following my dream, right,” he smiles.

And so he is. Which is also, coincidentally, what brought him to InDro Robotics.

Below: Arron Griffiths, left of centre (and standing next to InDro Robotics Founder/CEO Philip Reece, who’s wearing the jacket) with members of Team InDro at Area X.O

Area XO DARTT

IN THE BLOOD

 

Born and raised in Birmingham, UK, technology is literally in Arron’s genes. Yes, he had an interest in Japanese animé as a child, which sparked his passion for robots. But he grew up in a household (and from a bloodline) of engineers, makers and builders that the family has traced back to 1740 – 20 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution.

Arron’s father was an engineer who brought the internet to major UK companies in the late 1980s and early 90s; Bill Clinton is even said to have sent him an email to mark the accomplishment. So the boy who would eventually become our Engineering Manager grew up in a house that always had the latest computers, was always plugged-in to the cutting-edge. His was the first family to have internet on its street.

But it wasn’t just his father.

“My father is an internet engineer and my grandfather was a welder by trade, and then his father was an engineer and we think his father was an engineer,” says Griffiths. “There’s a lineage on my dad’s side of engineers and skilled trades we believe going all the way back to being tinkerers or something.”

It’s not surprising that Griffiths knew from an early age that he wanted to someday work with robots. Design them, build them – and contribute toward a future where robots might one day perform mundane tasks at scale to give humans extra time to explore more fulfilling and creative tasks; to enjoy life more.

“I knew I wanted to do robots when I got older but everyone laughed at me. I was very much the weird kid in that sense.”

There would be a few bumps along the way. Though doing well in math and physics, Griffiths “meandered” a bit during one year at college in the UK, which he likens to senior high school. He did more than meander: He failed. And so he pivoted and attended a hands-on vocational school, where he learned about electronics and computers in control. He learned to code in C language and more. He was making things.

“I did well at the college because it’s very much what I was really interested in. And then at 19 I went to the University of Plymouth and started my BSc Bachelor of Science in Robotics,” he says.

He thought he had a pretty good grasp on all things technical, and – like many starting out in university – he enjoyed the party life and didn’t yet fully appreciate the commitment a demanding major requires. The result? He would once again fail – this time, during his second year.

“But it was actually a good thing that I kept failing,” he reflects. “I think, in hindsight, I probably thought I knew more than I did.”

 

SOUL SEARCHING

 

After that second failure, Arron knew he needed to be absolutely certain if he were on the correct path. So he took a trip to the US to reflect, traveling and exploring the east coast for a little over a month.

“And I was trying to find out if I really wanted to do this, if I really wanted to be a robotics engineer, if I had the skill set. Did I really want to do this?” he recalls.

Thankfully for InDro, he did. Arron returned to the UK and completed his degree in 2008 – not exactly the best year to go job-searching. With the help of his mother he stayed on at Plymouth University and completed his Masters degree. He also became deeply involved in the university’s robotic soccer team. In fact, his thesis was about building a robot goaltender.

“And my dissertation was you can never lose a football match if you never let a goal in – you can only ever draw or win. And then essentially I was like: So I’ve got to develop a goalkeeper that never lets a goal in, right?”

His work led him to be hired by the University after graduation to keep on working with the robot football team and be a teaching assistant in the lecture halls. That 1.5-year contract was extended another year, and soon Griffiths was traveling extensively.

“I went to Germany, Korea, Taiwan doing the competitions for this team. I learned a lot about bipedal robots and vision systems and autonomy and localizing. I was still learning – so it was almost like getting another degree.”

Exciting though that was, Griffiths knew he didn’t want to spend his career inside an institution. In some ways, being back in the lecture halls – even if he was the one giving the lecture – felt like still being trapped in school. He wanted more. And so he left Plymouth University and, briefly, found himself unemployed.

“If you’re listening, I fail a lot, right?” he laughs, “I fail and then I pick myself up.”

Below: Arron’s robotic goaltender and action. Like its creator, it too fails on occasion – but is a great example of his early work with machine vision and AI. (Side note: the CBC later did a feature on the University of Plymouth’s robotic football team.)

CUMBRIA TO CANADA

 

Determined to not only remain in robotics but find new challenges, he landed a job at the University of Manchester designing and building robots to be used in nuclear facilities, including submersible robots that could carry out fuel-rod inspections. The work took him to a remote location next to Scotland in Cumbria, because that’s where the nuclear facility was. It was there he was faced with the challenge of taking some strangers with high-level skillsets and building not only robots – but a team. It was called the RAIN Hub, where RAIN stands for Robotics and AI in Nuclear.

Arron’s big project there was to design and build a ground vehicle that could autonomously explore massive nuclear facilities and map any radiation contamination: A task that perfectly fits the Dirty Dull and Dangerous. Arron built the Carma for the task, using a Clearpath platform as the base. It also got him interested in the company. (Quick aside: He would also meet his future wife while working in that lonely outpost.)

He had a friend and supporter who worked at Clearpath and who put in a good word when a posting for Applications Engineer came up. Arron applied and received an offer – but there was a catch. The offer had an expiry date to accept, and Arron was still waiting for his visa to be able to work in Canada. It wasn’t clear if the visa would be in place in time to accept the offer.

It was close. With two weeks remaining, he got the paperwork – and prepared to scramble. He had about 10 days to pack up, sell whatever he could, and move to Waterloo.

Though heading to Clearpath, he was getting closer to InDro.

Below: the Carma in action.

CLEARPATH, COVID, CITIZENSHIP

 

In March of 2019, Griffiths arrived and, after finding his feet in Waterloo, started working at Clearpath. As Senior Applications Engineer, there was a lot of “client-facing” engineering.

“I would negotiate essentially what we would deliver and what they would get by when, because people have very grandiose ideas about robots about what they expect robots to be capable of doing. Sometimes I had to readjust those expectations by saying: ‘Do you have one million dollars?'” he laughs. “That’s also where I met Peter.” (He’s referring here to InDro Vice President Peter King.)

Arron’s second year at Clearpath was during COVID lockdowns, and he spent much of the year working from home. He was also reflecting on whether being a Senior Applications Engineer was the right job for him. That’s when Peter (by this point at InDro) called him up and asked Arron if he might be interested in a more senior position with a newer robotics company.

And that…is how Arron came to Area X.O.– where he’ll mark his fourth anniversary early next year, along with an impressive number of successful milestones.

Griffiths has overseen both the design and build of many projects (including a highly complex design and build for one of the world’s largest technology companies) – and scaled a very small engineering team to a large one. It’s been an utter transformation for InDro…and for Arron.

“When I first started, although I was Engineering Manager by title, I wasn’t by practice. I was very much the senior engineer doing operations and engineering. But in the last two years I very much feel like the Engineering Manager. I have a team of people that I delegate to. I do the tasking and the timing and the synching.”

He’s also shown an extraordinary talent in selecting people who gel in a collaborative team setting – and striking the perfect balance between hard work at the office and team celebrations like meals out, bowling, miniature golf. Striking that balance between being a manager and being a colleague/friend is like “walking a tightrope,” he says.

“When you’re celebrating people and the InDro accomplishments they’ve made, I’m very happy and jolly. But when you’re asking someone to get something done, you’re pretty dry and straightforward, right? That gives them an indication that this is not me as Aaron asking you, this is me as Engineering Manager saying, ‘Hey, these are the tasks we need to get done.’ So my mannerisms are different – I’m very matter-of-fact when I’m the boss and a bit more casual and emoji happy when I’m being me.”

 

OUTSIDE INDRO

 

Remember the Canadian woman he met while up doing that nuclear robotics work? Well, physicist Marisa Smith and Griffiths continued to make it work – even when she was living in the US and he was at Clearpath. Every two weeks, Arron would pack up and drive eight hours to and back from South Bend, Indiana, to see her.

They married during COVID – and would hold a more public ceremony where others could help celebrate in Jamaica in February of 2023. Both cat lovers, Arron says “Marisa is the smart one in the house.” He applied for Canadian citizenship and, earlier this year in an online ceremony, took his pledge.

“I did it because I wanted to be a Canadian – I wanted to feel like I belonged. I didn’t want to be a foreigner anymore,” he says. “I wanted to be part of the country.”

We are grateful he is. And we look forward to trying out his food truck (yes, that really is a thing) this coming spring.

If it’s as good as his robots and work ethic – and we’re confident it will be – there should be no shortage of customers.

Below: The day Arron received his Canadian citizenship in a virtual ceremony (note the elaborate pathways for cats on the walls – he and his wife are cat people). Image two: A celebratory graphic, created and posted internally. Image three: The food truck! Image four: Griffiths and his wife, physicist Marisa Smith (whom Arron refers to as “the smart one in the house”).

Arron Citizenship
Arron Citizenship
Arron food truck
Arron and Marisa Smith

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have an engineering manager both as capable and as personable as Arron. He has contributed hugely to the growth and success of our Area X.O team, overseeing complex projects on tight deadlines while always ensuring he’s celebrating the accomplishments of others. He has created a special “InDro Kudos” chat channel, where every week he praises employees who have excelled at specific tasks.

“Arron is not only an outstanding engineer and roboticist – he’s also a tremendous manager and team leader,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “He is constantly mentoring others, sharing any and all skills to help move the company as a whole forward. I look forward to trying his fish & chips – and wonder how long it will be before he integrates a robotic arm in his operations.”

Vice President Peter King concurs.

“It was really fortuitous for the future of InDro Robotics that Arron and I met at Clearpath,” he says. “The intelligence, energy and enthusiasm that Arron brings to the job are incredible – and he’s behind so many of the InDro successes of the past several years. He’s the perfect person in the perfect position; an exact fit.”

We hope you enjoyed learning more about Griffiths. If you enjoyed this story, you might like this profile of two Area X.O employees who began their journey in India.

And, yes, we’ll tell you when his truck is ready.

Feature image at top of story by Scott Simmie, InDro Robotics

 

InDro Robotics, Cypher Robotics attend high-level trade meetings in Dubai

InDro Robotics, Cypher Robotics attend high-level trade meetings in Dubai

Oct 24, 2024 | Captis, Cypher Robotics, GITEX GLOBAL 2024, InDro News, Scott Simmie, Sentinel

By Scott Simmie

 

As you might recall from this post, Cypher Robotics and its Captis cycle-counting/inventory management solution recently attended the huge GITEX GLOBAL 2024 event in Dubai. It’s the world’s largest technology and AI exhibition, with some 200,000 attendees. It was a *huge* show.

But a lot of the work – and the opportunities – for both Cypher Robotics and InDro Robotics (which incubated Cypher and has a technology agreement with the company) took place away from the show floor. Cypher Robotics CEO and InDro Vice President Peter King spent much of his time in high-level meetings with executives from five of the largest companies in the United Arab Emirates.

“These were C-suite level meetings, where we were able to learn more about what these companies do – and discuss how both InDro and Cypher can offer solutions that could benefit them,” says King.

These aren’t companies where you can simply call and ask for a meeting with high-level executives. There needs to be a catalyst to facilitate such discussions.

And there was: The Government of Canada; specifically, the Canadian Consulate in Dubai.

Below: Cypher Robotics CEO Peter King (second from right) on the floor at GITEX GLOBAL 2024. Much of his time was spent off the floor, meeting with executives from the largest companies in the UAE

Cypher Robotics Peter King Captis GITEX

TRADE MISSION

 

Among the many responsibilities of the Federal Government is promoting trade between Canadian firms and international clients. Sometimes, there are large “Team Canada Trade Missions” which are led by a Minister and often covered by media. With these missions, there’s a specific push on the Indo-Pacific region. On other occasions, however, the government pulls together smaller groups with a very specific focus. Months before GITEX GLOBAL 2024 was to take the world stage, planning began for a mission in Dubai that would take place the same week.

Government officials identified five Canadian firms in the Canadian high-tech sector it felt might be a fit for the UAE market. InDro Robotics was invited to participate – and was the only company among those five from the robotics sector.

“They identified that our solutions could be highlighted in Dubai – not only for trade reasons, but also to help solve some really hard problems,” says Peter King. “We were obviously really pleased to be one of a small handful of technology companies to be on the federal government’s radar.”

Canada’s Consul General in Dubai, H.E. Tracy Reynolds, was at the helm of this program and coordinated a series of meetings with “the UAE’s most influential business and technology leaders,” reads a Government of Canada document outlining the program.

“Consul General Reynolds will lead a two-day outreach program that will allow selected Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) clients to pitch their products and solutions to Dubai’s conglomerates, which are considered to be major buyers of ICT products and solutions. The meetings will also allow the delegation to learn about the latest technologies being adopted by these organizations,” it adds.

 

WHY UAE?

 

Though historically an oil-driven economy, the United Arab Emirates has diversified greatly in recent years. It has evolved, according to the CIA’s World FactBook, “into a trade-oriented logistics and supply chain leader (with) strong foreign direct investment orientation; building trade and investment ties through partnership agreements…” The UAE Gross Domestic Product is the fourth highest in the Middle East (after Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel), with an estimated USD 719.733 billion GDP in 2023.

In Dubai, the skyline has been utterly transformed over the past few decades. It’s home to the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and other ultra-modern architecture. Known also for its luxury shopping and high-end autos, Dubai has also embraced technology in recent years. In fact, the local police count Tesla Cybertrucks among their fleet.

Dubai has never been as dependent on oil as the other six Emirates that comprise the UAE – and Dubai has led the way in the UAE in terms of economic diversification. According to Wikipedia, “Oil production, which once accounted for 50% of Dubai’s gross domestic product, contributes less than 1% today. In 2018, wholesale and retail trade represented 26% of the total GDP; transport and logistics, 12%; banking, insurance activities and capital markets, 10%; manufacturing, 9%; real estate, 7%; construction, 6%; tourism, 5%. The International Herald Tribune described it as ‘centrally-planned free-market capitalism’.”

In other words, Dubai – and the wider UAE – are a significant and growing global marketplace.

Below: The Dubai Skyline at night. Photo by Ivan Siarbolin – https://www.pexels.com/photo/city-skyline-during-night-time-3787839/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95959711

TRADE MISSION</p> <p>Among the many responsibilities of the Federal Government is promoting trade between Canadian firms and international clients. Sometimes, there are large "Team Canada Trade Missions" which are led by a Minister and often covered by media. With these missions, there's a specific push on the Indo-Pacific region. On other occasions, however, the government pulls together smaller groups with a very specific focus. Months before GITEX GLOBAL 2024 was to take the world stage, planning began for a mission in Dubai that would take place the same week.</p> <p>Government officials identified five Canadian firms in the Canadian high-tech sector it felt might be a fit for the UAE market. InDro Robotics was invited to participate – and was the only company among those five from the robotics sector.</p> <p>"They identified that our solutions could be highlighted in Dubai – not only for trade reasons, but also to help solve some really hard problems," says Peter King. "We were obviously really pleased to be one of a small handful of technology companies to be on the federal government's radar."</p> <p>Canada's Consul General in Dubai, H.E. Tracy Reynolds, was at the helm of this program and coordinated a series of meetings with "the UAE's most influential business and technology leaders," reads a Government of Canada document outlining the program.</p> <p>"Consul General Reynolds will lead a two-day outreach program that will allow selected Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) clients to pitch their products and solutions to Dubai's conglomerates, which are considered to be major buyers of ICT products and solutions. The meetings will also allow the delegation to learn about the latest technologies being adopted by these organizations," it adds.</p> <p>WHY UAE?</p> <p>Though historically an oil-driven economy, the United Arab Emirates has diversified greatly in recent years. It has become, according to the CIA's World FactBook, "into a trade-oriented logistics and supply chain leader (with) strong foreign direct investment orientation; building trade and investment ties through partnership agreements..." The UAE Gross Domestic Product the fourth highest in the Middle East (after Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel), with an estimated $719.733 USD GDP in 2023.</p> <p>In Dubai, the skyline has been utterly transformed over the past couple of decades. It's home to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and other ultra-modern architecture. Known also for its luxury shopping and high-end autos, Dubai has also embraced technology in recent years. In fact, the local police count Tesla Cybertrucks among their fleet.</p> <p>Dubai has never been as dependent on oil as the other six Emirates that comprise the UAE – and Dubai has led the way in the UAE in terms of economic diversification. According to Wikipedia, "Oil production, which once accounted for 50% of Dubai's gross domestic product, contributes less than 1% today. In 2018, wholesale and retail trade represented 26% of the total GDP; transport and logistics, 12%; banking, insurance activities and capital markets, 10%; manufacturing, 9%; real estate, 7%; construction, 6%; tourism, 5%. The International Herald Tribune described it as 'centrally-planned free-market capitalism'."</p> <p>In other words, Dubai – and the wider UAE – are a significant and growing global marketplace.</p> <p>Below: The Dubai Skyline at night. Photo by Ivan Siarbolin - https://www.pexels.com/photo/city-skyline-during-night-time-3787839/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95959711

HIGH-LEVEL AGENDA

 

With that context, it’s clear why the Canadian Consulate in Dubai sees opportunity. Being on the ground, Canadian Consul General Tracy Reynolds, Deputy Consul General Anthony Finch and Trade Commissioner Arun Basandai have an insider’s vantage point into the key economic players in Dubai and the UAE. And so, over the course of two days, they accompanied representatives of the five invited Canadian companies to five different high-level meetings.

The first was with one of the largest real estate developers in the entire UAE. Remember the earlier reference to the Burj Khalifa? This company owns it. In addition to real estate, its diverse portfolio includes retail, hospitality, and leisure. The firm’s Executive Director and its Head of Information Technology attended the meeting.

We don’t want to get into the details, but it was an excellent discussion – which included how solutions from both InDro Robotics and Cypher Robotics might be useful to that firm. 

From there, it was off to a massive global investment company that has been a major driver of Dubai’s spectacular growth. It’s involved with 10 sectors, including real estate, hospitality, leisure & entertainment, media, ICT, design, education, retail, manufacturing, and logistics and science. It owns hotels, parks, resorts, a huge arena, multiple large retail outlets – and is also involved in multiple projects to accelerate Dubai into a fully Smart City. There were fruitful discussions there as well.

Meeting three was with one of the largest retailers in Dubai and the entire UAE with an emphasis on the fashion and lifestyle industry. On the food and beverage side, it runs multiple name brand franchises throughout the UAE and is the distributor/retailer of major fashion brands. It’s a huge company with a massive rolling inventory across several sectors. As with the previous meetings, all five Canadian technology companies had a chance to discuss their offerings.

 

AND THERE WAS MORE…

 

Once again, it was C-suite meetings with the full support of senior Consulate staff. The group met with the CEO and Chief Strategy and Technology Officer (CSTO) of the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure company across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It owns and operates 27 major shopping malls, multiple hotels, cinemas, etc. and has assets in excess of USD 18 billion and 44,000 employees.

The final meeting was with “a multinational retail franchise operator of 70 brands in 20 countries.” Those brands include Starbucks, Chipotle and Cheesecake Factory. The company runs hotels and major retail outlets with names you’d recognize. The company’s Chief Strategy and Digital Officer attended this meeting, and was able to learn about solutions offered by all five Canadian technology companies.

“These meetings were a tremendous opportunity to learn not only about what these leading UAE companies do, but also explore some of the challenges they face with operations at that scale,” says King. “There was significant interest in solutions from both InDro and Cypher – and I’m confident these were just the first of many conversations to come.”

Below: The Cypher Robotics cycle-counting and RFID scanning Captis, which can operate autonomously for five hours and also capture precision digital twins. Below that is the InDro Robotics Sentinel, designed for remote asset inspection, security and surveillance and digital twins

Cypher Robotics Captis
Sentinel

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We are pleased to have been selected to take part in this trade mission in the United Arab Emirates – and are exceedingly grateful to the senior staff at the Canadian Consul General in Dubai. These were exceptional meetings and, potentially, the beginning of new business relationships.

“These meetings were a significant step along Cypher’s long-term roadmap, which includes markets beyond North America,” says King. “Every business relationship begins with a discussion, and these were very productive introductory meetings for all of the Canadian firms on this trip. I’d like to extend our deepest thanks for Consul General Tracy Reynolds, Trade Commissioner Arun Basandani and Deputy Consul General Anthony Finch.”

InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece is also pleased.

“These meetings were a remarkable opportunity for not only InDro and Cypher, but for four other innovative Canadian tech companies,” he says. “The Government of Canada recognizes the global shift toward Industry 4.0 and the role Canadian technology companies can play in that. We are pleased that InDro had this opportunity and extend our thanks to all those involved.”

If you’d like to learn more about InDro Robotics solutions, contact us here. For Cypher Robotics and Captis, reach out here.

Cover image of Dubai at top of story via Wikimedia Commons by Tim Reckmann, CC BY-SA 3.0

Dual manipulator Rosie the robot used for Industry 4.0 research

Dual manipulator Rosie the robot used for Industry 4.0 research

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

By 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

Rosie and Tirth T

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

Baxter
Rosie

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

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 Pro Robot

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:

LIMO documentation

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). 

B2 Robot

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 ROS drone

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.