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

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

 

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

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

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

Tirth Gajera leaves India
Ujas Patel leaves India

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.

Ujas and T 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

Ujas with dog Loki

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

Stephan Tzolov, Ujas Patel, Tirth Gajera

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’s Stephan Tzolov: Next-level creativity

InDro’s Stephan Tzolov: Next-level creativity

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.)

 

Stephan Tzolov grad project
Stephan Tzolov grad project

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

Stephan Tzolov
Stephan Tzolov

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”)

Stephan Tzolov
Stephan Tzolov, Ujas Patel, Tirth Gajera

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

Stephan Tzolov

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.