Artificial intelligence posing a threat to the end of the world has been a trope for as long as humanity could conjure the concept.
So, too, has the utopian ideal of robotic entities performing all of the tasks people do not desire, thus freeing up our time for blissful enjoyment of life’s pleasures.
And with each passing day it seems more believable that robots will indeed become competent and capable enough to actually destroy (or save) us.
As we approach that seemingly inevitable fork in the road (likely still very far away, but the New York Times once infamously said that about airplane flight), companies around the world continue to push the boundaries of what mindful machinery can do. That includes a slew of innovators based out of British Columbia.
Below, we highlight local firms who made headlines in the robotics field in 2024.
Human in Motion
Human in Motion Robotics is commercializing its technology. XoMotion, the world’s most advanced exoskeleton, received regulatory approval from Health Canada this year.
XoMotion is designed to aid patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke, and other neurological conditions by providing support through self-balancing and hands-free functionality. The exoskeleton, on the leading edge of humanoid robotics, reduces the physical burden on therapists by lifting, assisting, mobilizing, and training patients, thus enhancing the safety and efficiency of rehabilitation programs, according to Human in Motion Robotics.
Human in Motion was founded in 2016 by Siamak Arzanpour and Edward Park. Last year, the company closed a $10 million Series A financing round led by Korean firm Beno Holdings.
Sanctuary
Vancouver’s Sanctuary AI recently demonstrated dexterous robotic hands with 21 degrees of freedom that can perform in-hand manipulation, which the firm described as a “technological milestone.”
This year, the company revealed a capital raise, announced deployment at Manga manufacturing facilities, and struck a partnership with Microsoft. It also unveiled the latest generation of Phoenix. The seventh generation Sanctuary’s general purpose robot, dubbed Phoenix, is powered by an AI control system known as Carbon—a combo which stands as one of the world’s top recent inventions.
However, it was not a perfect year for Sanctuary.
JAKS
The region of Salmon Arm in B.C. is not often associated with technological entrepreneurship, but a company launched there in 2020 is hustling to advance automation and robotics within Canada’s manufacturing sector.
JAKS’ this year earned funding from the Canadian Food Innovation Network to help develop and implement robotic pick-and-place system in a production facility using state-of-the-art machine vision to identify and retrieve from conveyors.
This process optimizes production, ensuring precision and reducing waste from mishandling, according to Adon Portman, principal at JAKS.
Rigid
Rigid Robotics, out of Burnaby, leverages sensors, the internet of things, and artificial intelligence to automate large mining shovels and optimize digging conditions for operations.
The firm’s platform—RIGIDprecision—is unified, scalable, and integration-friendly, according the company, providing additional layers of intelligence for operational oversight, planning, and real-time support.
Rigid received capital in November from the federal government to further build on recent momentum. The funding hailed from the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada’s Jobs and Growth Fund.
Open Ocean
The federal government, through the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, this year funded Open Ocean Robotics, a marine robotic vehicle company.
Open Ocean’s technology helps researchers monitor ocean conditions and track marine life in challenging environments, making it safer and more affordable to protect oceans.
The company’s flagship product is its Uncrewed Surface Vehicles, which are solar-powered, autonomous boats that provide real-time ocean information.
Apera
Founded in 2017 by Sina Afrooze and Armin Khatoonabadi, Apera is a tech company known for its flagship technology dubbed “4D vision,” which aims to bring “human-like sight” to automated manufacturing processes.
Built around proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that control object recognition and robotic pose estimation and path planning, 4D Vision is run through robotic workcells using Apera’s “Vue” vision software.
Vue is robot-agnostic and compatible with many leading robot brands. The company is targeting automotive manufacturing, metal fabrication, and the medical devices field as key sectors for its offering.
InDro Robotics
InDro Robotics is known for combining drone and AI technologies to deliver avant-garde solutions.
For example, the Vancouver-based technology firm is working alongside Ottawa’s Lemay.AI to outfit a 300-store retailer with artificially intelligent features.
InDro has garnered attention (and capital) from Montreal-based SCALE AI, among other entities.
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