By Scott Simmie
The first thing people notice about InDro’s new Obsidian all-terrain robot is that it looks pretty cool.
The second thing? There’s no steering wheel. That’s because this truly dual-purpose ATV is autonomous – confidently finding its way in unfamiliar and inhospitable environments. It’s also capable of remote tele-operation, pre-programmed repeatable missions, or desktop manual control. (There’s also a third thing – people think the colour is pretty cool.)
A lot of InDro engineering went into this build. There’s a drive-by-wire system integrated with our InDro Cortex EDGE platform (which is both a Commmand and Control and “Compute and Control” system). Of course, our InDro Controller allows for remote monitoring and control of mission over 5G, as well as a user-friendly dashboard for all onboard sensors, battery health, fuel level, and more. The hybrid-electric uses a highly efficient diesel generator to charge the batteries while in use. It is capable of both “follow me” and convoy modes, where multiple Obsidians can follow each other at a preset distance.
It is also, truly, a dual-purpose design, suitable for both military and civilian uses.
“In the military uses…they’re going to use that to do things like surveillance,” InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece told CBC Radio.
“They could send it to the ridge of a hill. It’ll look over the edge without putting any troops at risk. It can also move cargo and supplies and things like that.”
On the civilian side, it’s going to be put to use with paramedics. It will be capable of following them through areas with no roads, both carrying supplies and helping to bring back an injured person. (It would have been the perfect device for an incredible rescue carried out in 2025 by the County of Renfrew’s elite Sierra paramedic rescue team. That group cut its way through 25 kilometres of dense forest and bush to reach an injured 13-year-old girl and her mother following a vicious storm that dropped a tree on their tent in Algonquin Park.)
“It’s big enough to fit a stretcher, and then they can carry out First Aid on that person while the vehicle takes them back to their ambulance.”
Below: Front view of the autonomous, hybrid Obsidian, which can be outfitted with multiple sensors depending on the use-case
THE TECH
We checked in with Head of Engineering Joel Koscielski to chat about some of the other technologies that have gone into this build. He offered this high-level summary.
“A 5.5kW diesel generator was enclosed and integrated into the system using a 1kW charger which extends vehicle battery life by at least 50% right now,” he says. “We’re upgrading that to a 3kW charger, providing near-continuous operation on diesel power and extending range. The generator provides standard electrical outlets to supply power for any transported electronics as well.”
We should interrupt briefly to point out that the size of the fuel tank can easily be altered pending use-case. A larger fuel tank make Obsidian capable of truly extended range. Other significant integration components and features include:
- Full and seamless connectivity between SatCom, 5G cellular and WiFi – with the system switching automatically
- InDro’s Outdoor Autonomy Package: Four 3D LiDARs, four depth cameras, an RTK GPS for precision navigation plus Inertial Navigation System (INS), four fisheye cameras for 360° situational and autonomous awareness, all backed by a powerful EDGE compute bundle capable of more than 1300 Trillion Operations Per Second (TOPS)
- Choice of full autonomy, remote manual control, or pre-programmed missions using waypoints. In autonomous mode, the vehicle can navigate between gaps as narrow as three metres (which is not much wider than Obsidian itself).
Obsidian has come a long way in a short period of time. Earlier this year, when it was featured in a lengthy article in the Globe and Mail, it looked like this – still awaiting much of the integration mentioned above (plus, of course, testing and refinement):
PURPOSE-BUILT EXTERIOR
In addition to all of the sensors and compute/comms integration, a lot of work was done on Obsidian’s exterior – and it wasn’t for cosmetic purposes.
In the image above, you’ll note the shell. That’s reinforced aluminium, cut and assembled at our fabrication facility, InDro Forge. In addition, we installed steel rails on the rear of Obsidian to hold cargo, coated the bed with grip surface to ensure human safety when loading or unloading payload, and installed lighting. We then wrapped the entire vehicle, offering additional protection from the elements (and giving it that amazing blue colour).
Originally built on contract for a Federal agency, Obsidian was successfully demonstrated for the client in October at a special facility outside of Montreal. It was put through all its paces, including autonomous, pre-programmed waypoint mission and manual operation modes.
Below: A look at one of the CAD models, which was also used in simulation
INDRO’S TAKE
Obsidian is a highly versatile vehicle, with the capacity for longer-range missions in highly challenging environments. It can be used in defence missions to keep people out of harm’s way, to carry critical supplies for military or emergency relief, and transport injured people from remote locations while allowing First Responders to offer medical treatment en route. These are but a few of the use-cases, and we’re confident we’ll discover more as future Obsidians are deployed.
“This was an ambitious project, pushing our engineering team another step further beyond our traditional ground robots,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “Like any R&D with a new product, there were some challenges we had to overcome en route to the finished product. But those same challenges have resulted in a rugged, reliable and highly versatile robot we believe will fulfil highly useful functions in multiple scenarios. As usual, I’m pleased with the efforts of our engineering and fabrication teams for taking a concept and turning it into reality.”
Interested in learning more about Obsidian? Contact us here.