InDro in Atlanta at ICRA – IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

InDro in Atlanta at ICRA – IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

May 21, 2025 | InDro Cortex, InDro News, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

We are at ICRA 2025 – billed as “the premiere conference in robotics and automation.”

With about 40,000 attendees, there are some conferences out there that are even larger. But few are more influential when it comes to R&D. Some 3,000 research papers have been submitted for the show, with massive poster displays showing off cutting-edge research and new use-cases.

InDro is represented at this show by our Head of R&D Sales, Luke Corbeth. We spoke with Luke about why this conference is so important in this edition of our Sound Byte micro-podcast.

PAPERS, POSTERS, BREAKTHROUGHS

 

All of that research may not be as immediately appealing as the latest humanoid robot, but some of it might well improve the next generation of humanoids or reveal new use-cases. Research unveiled at shows like these – and particularly at ICRA – often finds a pathway from R&D into real-world applications..

“It’s really about creating that knowledge transfer,” explains Corbeth. “Others can build on top of what was discovered instead of having to do that work over again. And, that ultimately lays the groundwork (not only) for improvement in our field but also collaboration as well between academia, industry and others.”

And while Corbeth will be checking out the poster presentations (and robots!) when he has a moment to slip away from the booth, most of his time will be spent talking with potential clients about recent InDro innovations.

Those on display at the show include InDro Controller – our user-friendly interface for remote teleoperations and autonomous missions. Controller is the result of an immense amount of Front and Back-End development. It allows for the rapid plotting of repeatable autonomous missions with a few clicks of a mouse. Actions, such as zooming in on a point of interest or scanning a particular item for thermal anomalies, can be set up in a flash. And the software immediately detects any new sensors added to a robot (or drone) and allows for a fully customisable dashboard to display and save the data they acquire.

We’re also showing off our new R&D research drone. We developed this product, which runs on ROS2, over the past two years. Because it’s fully Open Source and has powerful onboard compute, it’s the perfect tool for researchers who want to test new applications and code. There are very few drones that have been developed specifically for R&D purposes, so we’re pleased to be offering this (and have already sold units to US researchers).

 

THE BIG REVEAL

 

We’re most excited, however, to be showing our new Cortex module in public for the first time.

“It’s a brain box for virtually any robot or drone,” says Corbeth. “So the idea behind Cortex is it’s extremely lightweight. It has really capable compute in the (NVIDIA) Orin NX in addition to 5G connectivity and power distribution. So we can turn virtually any Uncrewed Ground Vehicle or Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle into a robot capable of teleoperation and autonomy with a little bit of software and some sensor integrations.”

We’re not releasing full specs yet, but we’re incredibly excited about the capabilities offered by Cortex. It allows not only for remote teleoperation, but for the near-instant integration of additional sensors on UGVs and UAVs without all the coding. We can also bundle Cortex with additional software stacks like InDro Autonomy. And, of course, it plays nice with InDro Controller.

If you follow InDro, you’ll be aware we previously developed the popular InDro Commander, which carries out similar functions. Cortex is the logical descendant of that R&D, putting even greater power into the smallest package possible.

Though commercial release is scheduled for later this year, we’ve already had inquiries and pre-orders. Here’s a peek at Cortex on display at ICRA 2025:

InDro Cortex ICRA 2025

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We choose our conferences carefully. ICRA is truly at the centre of cutting-edge R&D and is a must-attend for us. Not only is it a great opportunity to expand our client base, but also a chance to see the latest and best research in the sector.

“The show has come a long way since we were last here,” says Corbeth. “There has been an incredible amount of innovation in such a short period from the companies that exhibit and the researchers that are presenting. Notably, a lot of advancement in humanoids, grippers and solutions like Cortex that make it easier to develop, create and deploy robotics systems.”

Interested in more information about Cortex? You can hit us up here.

The new InDro Cortex: Amazing power in a tiny package

The new InDro Cortex: Amazing power in a tiny package

Jun 19, 2024 | InDro Autonomy, InDro Controller, InDro Cortex, InDro News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

The InDro Robotics engineering team, as always, has been hard at work. And we’re particularly pleased with our latest R&D breakthrough: The InDro command module, which we’ve named InDro Cortex.

It’s a small but exceedingly powerful box that will immediately enable robotic platforms to reach the next level. It’s robot-agnostic, meaning you can integrate Cortex with any ROS-based robot (which is pretty much all of them).

And what can it do?

A better question might be: What can’t it do? And the answer there is “not much.”

Below: An InDro Robotics Cortex mounted on a Unitree B2 quadruped. Cortex enables remote teleoperations, autonomous missions – and much more…

InDro Control Module ICM

BACKGROUND

 

There’s some important history here – which also tells you something about the InDro Robotics ethos.

In November of 2021, we released a very popular product. InDro Commander was developed in response to the needs of clients who wanted to be able to quickly turn a platform into a smart, easily customisable robot capable of teleoperation over 4G or 5G. From developers and academics through to large technology companies, our clients had been requesting such a solution. In fact, even in the development of our own products we identified the need for an all-in-one solution to speed robot integration and enable teleoperation.

“Our engineering team came up with the concept of the InDro Commander after integrating and customizing our own robots,” said Philip Reece, CEO of InDro Robotics, when the product was launched. “We realized there were hurdles common to all of them – so we designed and produced a solution. Commander vastly simplifies turning a platform into a fully functioning, teleoperated robot.”

Commander, as this webpage explains, “is designed to allow developers to quickly customize their own robotic solution. The following are common additions that can be easily added to any Commander-controlled robotic system: LiDAR (2D/3D), PTZ camera, thermal cameras, wireless charging, IMU, RTK.”

Commander, quite simply, takes the pain out of integration.

And how does it do that? Well, it ships with a powerful EDGE computer pre-loaded with ROS1 and ROS2 folders. It also contains multiple USB ports, allowing for the instant addition (and recognition of) pretty much any sensor you can throw at it. It allowed clients who were previously spending a ton of time on integration to simply attach Commander to the robot’s power supply, start plugging in sensors, and then remotely operate via a secure dashboard.

When it was first released, Engineering Lead Arron Griffiths dubbed it “ROS-in-a-Box.” We later changed that to Commander, but here’s the splashy video released at the time in advance of the big IROS show, where Commander made its debut:

SMARTER, FASTER, SMALLER

 

At InDro, we have a motto of “Invent, Enhance, Deploy.” But deployment doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. InDro’s engineers continuously look at ways to enhance existing products. And that’s exactly what we’ve done with Commander. We asked ourselves: How could we make this even better?

“InDro Cortex grew out of the idea of making a general purpose backpack/module that any OEM could put on their motorized product – everything from a ground robot to even a golf cart, drone, car, truck or RC platform,” says Engineering Lead Arron Griffiths. “That single module makes any platform ROS-enabled, AI-ready and 5G connected.”

A lot of work went into this. One of the biggest tasks was designing and developing four new boards that pack a lot of AI compute power (and other features) into a tiny space. There are separate boards for EDGE computing, teleoperation data transfer, and sensor integration. There’s also a separate WiFi system.

“And of course, it can run on either a public or private 5G network,” says InDro Vice President Peter King.

And did we say size matters? The small size of Cortex means it can be placed on virtually any robot – from the smallest quadruped to the largest AMR. It can even be fitted to a drone.

“It’s tiny so it fits on everything. So basically we can turn any platform into a very powerful robot without all the time and hassle,” adds King.

Below: Much of the magic of InDro Cortex lies in the design, development and testing of four new circuit boards:

InDro Control Module ICM

AUTONOMY AND INDRO CONTROLLER

 

InDro Cortex is a powerful solution on its own. But pairing it with our new InDro Controller provides incredible synergy.

We just wrote a fairly comprehensive post about InDro Controller, so if you’d like more details you can check this out. But in a nutshell, InDro Controller is a powerful desktop UI for operating any robot. With a highly secure data connection, InDro Controller automatically senses all key parameters of any robotic device. It will automatically detect any sensors, providing a data feed from all of them with minimal latency.

“It can handle all sorts of data,” says Front-End Developer RJ Bundy. “It doesn’t matter if the robot has standard or custom sensors, InDro Controller can automatically detect and visualize them. For example, if you added a radar unit to an existing robot, the system will pick up on that immediately.”

InDro Controller provides the operator with a highly customisable dashboard for carrying out complex missions. It will also keep track of any missions manually carried out, and make them repeatable as autonomous missions.

And that autonomy? InDro has created two different autonomy software stacks. One is for outdoor missions that rely on GPS; the second is for indoor missions like SLAM in GPS-denied environments. That software comes with InDro Controller – and is also loaded onto the module. So the two key elements of this system – InDro Controller and InDro Cortex – have been made to operate seamlessly together.

“Anyone should be able to configure and control Cortex for their product, and indeed, their solution,” says Griffiths.

Below: A look at the powerful InDro Controller UI dashboard. The Controller software has been created to be an ideal match for InDro Cortex and is easy to operate.

Teleoperations with Robots

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re extraordinarily proud of the work our engineering team has put into Cortex – as well as InDro Controller. We believe these two, in combination, set a new bar for both robot integration and complex remote teleoperations.

“The design and creation of the boards used in Cortex was a significant technical challenge – and a significant achievement. The same can be said of our two new autonomy stacks,” says InDro Robotics CEO Philip Reece.

“Whether it’s a ground robot, a drone, or some other device that requires high processing power and minimal latency with all the features enabled by ROS, Cortex allows developers to quickly transform virtually any platform into a powerful autonomous robot with minimal effort.”

Interested in learning more? Of course you are. Contact our Head of R&D Sales, Luke Corbeth, right here.