Clearpath Robotics – Page 4

June 18, 2014

Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics Celebrates 5th Birthday with an Interactive Twitter Robot

Source: CBC News
Author: Andrea Bellemar

Watch the live video from TwitBot CPR on twitch.tv
Kitchener’s Clearpath Robotics counts the Canadian Space Agency and the Department of National Defence among its clients, plans to add more employees over the next eight months and has recently built its 1,000th robot, no small feat for a company that is now marking its fifth anniversary this June.

“It was a bit of landmark for us, especially as we approached our five-year anniversary,” said Meghan Hennessey, the communications coordinator for Clearpath Robotics. “It’s a lot of robots.”

To celebrate five years, engineer Ilia Baranov modified a robot so that Twitter users can control its movements through their tweets. (To watch the robot in action, watch the live video feed at the top of the page. Instructions on how to move the robot are below.)

Domo Arigato, Farmer Roboto
The company was founded in 2009 by four grads from the University of Waterloo’s mechatronics engineering program. Currently, the company lists nine different robots on its website, including unmanned ground and aerial vehicles, an unmanned robotic boat, and lab devices like a robotic arm and a haptic controller.

Clearpath Robotics currently employs 50 people and six co-op students, and is planning to grow to 65 employees. The move to a bigger space was needed – the company assembles the robots in Kitchener.

Hennessey says the company will launch a new kind of robot vehicle in August or September and has just launched a new division for custom services.

“We are starting to work with larger conglomerates within mining, military and agricultural divisions,” said Hennessey.

“So we could design both the hardware and the software, or just the software or perhaps just help them out with the design elements of it,” she said, adding she couldn’t expand on the exact nature of the work due to confidentially.

How to move the robot

To get the robot to move, tweet @ClearpathRobotics, use the hashtag #moverobot, and give the robot a command, such as “forward” or “backward”, “left” or “right” to move it. The lights on the robot can also be changed by tweeting a colour.

“I got one that actually said, “Make it twerk” which I thought was hilarious. Who knows, that might pop up in the next couple days,” said Hennessey.

The robot will be controllable online until the end of June.

Check out the video and read the full article here.

May 22, 2014

Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics Headed to US for 48hrs in the Valley This June

Source: www.techvibes.com
Author: Knowlton Thomas

C100 Unveils the 15 Startups Heading to US for 48hrs in the Valley This June

The C100 is hosting the next crop of top Canadian technology startups at 48hrs in the Valley. Held June 16 and 17, the event gives a select group of Canadian startups access to networking, mentoring, and business growth opportunities in Silicon Valley.

This edition of 48hrs in the Valley represents the first invite-only one. C100 charter members, sponsors, and partners, along with 48hrs alumni, were asked to nominate promising Canadian startups.

A small number of tickets are available to the public for several sessions.

“While a strong entrepreneurial and tech community is building across Canada, Canadian startups still need the connections and expertise of Silicon Valley to get to the next level,” said Atlee Clark, Executive Director of the C100. “48hrs gives these entrepreneurs the resources needed to build the next billion-dollar Canadian technology company.”

Accelerator Centre graduate Clearpath Robotics will be joining the C100 for 48hrs in the Valley

Read the full article here

May 22, 2014

Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics Announces Anthony Tod as VP Engineering

Source: Clearpath Robotics Press Release
By: Meghan Hennessey

Continue reading “Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics Announces Anthony Tod as VP Engineering”

May 1, 2014

Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics Partners with Vicon for Advanced Motion Capture System

Clearpath introduces affordable, high-quality motion capture to robotics research at ICRA Hong Kong

(Kitchener, Ontario – May 1, 2014) Clearpath Robotics has partnered with Vicon, the motion capture technology specialists for the entertainment, defense, life sciences and engineering industries, to provide high-quality motion capture systems to robotics research customers worldwide. Clearpath Robotics will demonstrate the two companies’ technologies working together at the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong, China, from May 31 to June 5.

“Optical tracking and robotics go hand in hand and we look forward to further expanding our presence in robotics research through this partnership with Clearpath Robotics,” said Warren Lester, engineering product manager, Vicon. “The quality and affordability of Vicon systems will reinforce Clearpath Robotics’ reputation for building unmanned vehicles that save time and money on future projects.”

Clearpath Robotics will offer a combined robotic and tracking solution using Vicon T-Series or Bonita motion capture cameras and Tracker object tracking software. Research organizations will be able to use the Vicon systems with Clearpath Robotics’ Husky all-terrain robot, TurtleBot mobile robot platform and JACO robot arm, to measure the efficacy and accuracy of the control systems they develop to guide them autonomously. The Vicon systems can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings to track the movement of robots with a precision that is not possible through other means. Such robots are developed for applications ranging from moving stock in a warehouse to searching abandoned buildings for bombs.

“Motion capture systems have become an integral part of robotics research,” said Matt Rendall, chief executive officer at Clearpath Robotics. “Vicon provides a reliable, cost-effective system with superior tracking capabilities, allowing our customers to use fewer cameras and gain higher quality results with millimeter-level precision.”

Vicon is now available at Clearpath Robotics. Visit www.clearpathrobotics.com/vicon for more details.

About Vicon

Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion tracking systems and match-moving software. It serves customers in CG animation, film, visual effects, computer games, broadcast television, as well as engineering and life sciences industries.

Vicon is a subsidiary of OMG (Oxford Metrics Group – LSE: OMG), plc., a group of technology companies that produces image understanding solutions for the entertainment, defence, life sciences and engineering markets. Other holdings include: 2d3, a manufacturer of specialized image understanding software for defense applications; Yotta a provider of software and services for infrastructure asset management; and OMG Life, a new consumer subsidiary.

Among many others, Vicon and OMG global clients include:
• Entertainment: Audiomotion, The Imaginarium, Quantic Dream, SEGA, Konami, Activision, Sony, Dreamworks, ILM and USC
• Life Sciences: Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre – Oxford, Headley Court, University of Western Australia, Adidas, Digital Human Research Centre – Japan, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Shriners, Marquette, UMich and Red Bull
• Engineering: European Space Agency, BMW, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – South Africa, ETH Zurich, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, NRL, UPENN GRASP, MIT, Ford and General Motors

For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit: www.omgplc.com, www.vicon.com, www.vicon.com/boujou, www.moves.comwww.2d3sensing.com,
www.yotta.co.uk or www.autographer.com.

About Clearpath Robotics
Clearpath Robotics, a global leader in unmanned vehicle robotics for research and development, is dedicated to automating the world’s dullest, dirtiest, and deadliest jobs. The Company serves leading researchers in over 30 countries worldwide in academic, corporate and military environments. Recognizing the value of future innovation, Clearpath Robotics established Partnerbot, a grant program to support university robotics research teams, internationally. Clearpath Robotics provides robust solutions that are engineered for performance, designed for customization, and built for open source. Visit Clearpath Robotics at www.clearpathrobotics.com.

Source: Clearpath Press Release
Author: Meghan Hennessey, Kim Willsher

April 1, 2014

Accelerator Centre Grad Clearpath Robotics talks "Entrepreneurship, Ambition and Accelerators."

Written by: Ellyn Winters-Robinson
Source: www.techvibes.com

Matt Rendall didn’t consciously set out to become a technology entrepreneur. As an undergrad studying Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, cramming for exams and building robots for fun, he didn’t envision that just a few years later he’d be at the helm of a fast growing, multi-million dollar technology company.

But that’s exactly what happened.

“I’ve been asked a bunch of times why I became an entrepreneur. And I like to say that ignorance is bliss,” he chuckles. “I think it just is what was supposed to happen in my life. What began as a student project, working with really cool technology helped me fall into this entrepreneurial world. And I became addicted to the uncertainty, the discomfort, and the excitement that comes hand in hand with entrepreneurship.”

Rendall is CEO of Clearpath Robotics, a 40-person company specializing in robotics solutions for the academic, industrial and commercial marketplace, and a recognized market leader in the robotics world. The company sells its Grizzly, Husky, Kingfisher, and Turtlebot robots to 300 customers in more than 30 countries, including organizations such as NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the US Navy, and MIT among others, and is stacking up awards, such as the “2013 Game Changer Award” for its technology.

It’s been four years since the company graduated from the Accelerator Centre and struck off into the world to make its way. Rendall attributes Clearpath Robotics’ fast track success to he and his co-founder’s experience at the Waterloo Accelerator Centre.

Read the rest of the post at www.techvibes.com.

March 17, 2014

Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics' Blog: "Expanding the Robot Badlands"

Source: Clearpath Robotics – Culture and Community Blog
By: Meghan Hennessey
Re-posted with permission

Clearpath’s blog is written with so much personality, we just had to share it this month. Meghan Hennessey, Clearpath’s Marketing Communications Coordinator, offers up the latest on their new office space, or ‘Botsmith Lair’ as their team has affectionately named it. Enjoy the read.

This June, we’ll be celebrating our 5th birthday! The past half-decade has been full of excitement, challenges, achievements and growth. Ah growth – we’ve never really stopped growing, and we won’t be slowing down anytime soon! With 35 new positions to hire for, we’re ready to move for a fourth time in four years. The new robot lair is going through a floor-to-ceiling overhaul to accommodate our team of people, and the bots they make. With minimal nudging, we got all the det’s from our very own co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Bryan Webb…

The Botsmith Lair

“Our new location will have 12,000 square feet of space,” said Bryan. Clearpathians will enjoy an open concept office that includes two floors split with a mezzanine balcony. The second floor mezzanine boasts themed meeting rooms and walls of whiteboards for the operations, logistics and marketing team to utilize. Below the mezzanine will buzz with robots and engineers alike. The engineering space will be surrounded with floor to ceiling whiteboard walls, break-out rooms and have a library for continuous learning; “Clearpath’s team is naturally dynamic and creative, so we’ve taken special care to bring in unique features that will help enhance our culture,” said Bryan. More people equals more robots; this has lead to us quadrupling our production space to allow multiple robot builds at a time and storage of all our inventory.

Okay so pretty standard stuff so far, right? Well hang on to your sensors! The lounge (aka ‘lunch room’) is in progress and will be dec’d out with couches, blackboards, bar stools, a bar, and – what we’re most curious about – will there be anything stocked at this said bar? In his best bot-face, Bryan left it at, “Fridays at 5 should be celebrated, along with the other achievements made throughout the week.”

Read more on the ‘Robot Badlands’ and the ‘Unmanned Experts’ on the full version of their blog.

March 12, 2014

From startup to ramping up: Read about Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics' success in The Record

By: Terry Pender
Source: The Record

KITCHENER —Clearpath Robotics will soon mark its fifth anniversary with profit, the sale of its 1,000th robot and plans to significantly expand its workforce of highly skilled engineers.

“We have very tangibly left the startup stage,” Matt Rendall, the Kitchener company’s chief executive officer, said.

Later this month or next month, Clearpath will move into larger quarters at 1425 Strasburg Rd. in the Huron Business Park. The new location will contain 12,000 square feet of space, more than double its current location at 148 Manitou Dr.

As it prepares to move, it is also gearing up for its biggest recruitment drive. There are 38 people working there now, and that number is expected to double over the next 12 to 18 months.

“Statistically speaking, the five-year mark is the make-or-break point for startups to succeed or fail,” Rendall said. “We had our best year yet.”

Clearpath’s fiscal year ended in February. The company said it exceeded its goals and is making money.

As Clearpath transitions from late-stage startup to a growing technology company, it must grapple with a challenge common to many in the sector — the retention and recruitment of talent.

Read the full article here.

January 28, 2014

Accelerator Centre Graduate Clearpath Robotics to provide robots for lifesaving humanitarian research

(Kitchener, ON, Canada – January 23, 2013) The University of Coimbra’s Institute of Systems and Robotics is working diligently to automate the extremely dangerous and manual job of clearing minefields for humanitarian demining efforts. Canadian robotics makers, Clearpath Robotics, sponsored the project by providing the mobile robotic base.

“Minesweeping is an extremely dangerous and time-intensive process,” said Lino Marques, Senior Lecturer at the University of Coimbra, and academic liaison for the project. “Robots do not get tired; they can be extremely thorough performing their jobs, and their cost is infinitely smaller than that of a human life. For these reasons, robots are a perfect solution for the minesweeping problem.”

The group at University of Coimbra set out to accomplish three key tasks with their mobile robot: Perceive terrain characteristics, navigate across the terrain, and utilize the vehicle to detect and localize landmines. The first round of field tests in 2013 was interrupted due to issues with their custom robotic arm. Once adjustments are in place, a second round of field tests will take place (expected mid-2014).

“We are very proud to be supporters of Dr. Marques’ humanitarian research into demining robotics.” said Matt Rendall, CEO at Clearpath Robotics. “Clearpath Robotics was originally founded with a focus to clear landmines using a swarm of small mobile robots – that’s how we got our name – so it’s very exciting for us to work with the University of Coimbra to advance this incredibly noble research.”

The mobile robotic base was outfitted with navigation and localization sensors, ground penetration radar, and a custom robotic arm with an attached metal detector. The entirety of the robot is designed with open source software using the Robot Operating System (ROS).

The group received the mobile base, known as Husky Unmanned Ground Vehicle, as part of the 2012 Partnerbot Grant Program, inaugurated to support advancement in robotics research. Within the Partnerbot program, the group was also named winners of the Special Award for Humanitarian Contribution.

About Clearpath Robotics

Clearpath Robotics, a global leader in unmanned vehicle robotics for research and development, is dedicated to automating the world’s dullest, dirtiest, and deadliest jobs. The Company serves robotics leaders in over 30 countries worldwide in academic, corporate, industrial, and military environments. Recognizing the value of future innovation, Clearpath Robotics established Partnerbot, a grant program to support university robotics research teams, internationally. Clearpath Robotics provides robust robotic vehicles and autonomous solutions that are engineered for performance, designed for customization, and built for open source. Visit Clearpath Robotics at www.clearpathrobotics.com, follow us on Twitter @clearpathrobots or like us on Facebook.

Contact:

Meghan Hennessey

Marketing Communications

519-513-2416

press@clearpathrobotics.com

www.clearpathrobotics.com

November 13, 2013

Accelerator Program Graduate Clearpath Robotics awarded $100,000 contract by Government of Canada

KITCHENER, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – Nov. 12, 2013) – The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, joined by Harold Albrecht, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga, today announced that the Government of Canada has awarded a contract of over $100,000 to Clearpath Robotics Inc. of Kitchener, Ontario, for its innovation, the Kingfisher M200 Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV). The contract was awarded through the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP), formerly known as the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP).

“The Government of Canada’s top priority is the economy and we understand that helping Canadian businesses expand and succeed directly benefits Canadian workers and families by creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said Minister Finley. “We are proud to encourage Canada’s entrepreneurial spirit by kick-starting Canadian businesses to get their innovative products and services from the lab to the marketplace.”

Clearpath Robotics Inc.’s innovation, the Kingfisher M200 USV, is a portable robotic vessel, designed to measure and analyze inland waters such as lakes, rivers, ponds and estuaries. The Kingfisher is intended for use by researchers and environmental engineers performing lengthy or difficult surveying of inland waters. It provides a safe and reliable method for collecting high quality data with more accuracy and at lower costs than the existing industry-standard techniques. The Kingfisher has also demonstrated substantial benefits in terms of safety and water accessibility, as it is able to collect data from areas deemed impossible to reach by boat and too dangerous to enter on foot.

Read full article here.

Source: Daily Commercial News Online

October 30, 2013

Accelerator Program Graduate Clearpath Robotics CEO announced as EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award Recipient

Clearpath Robotics CEO Matt Rendall with EY EOY Award (Kitchener, ON, Canada – October 29, 2013) The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards, celebrating 20 years of honoring entrepreneurship and innovation in Canada, announced CEO of Clearpath Robotics, Matt Rendall, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2013 Ontario award winner in the category of Young Entrepreneur. The Ernst & Young Awards Gala was held at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre Thursday evening.

“I am thrilled and incredibly honored to receive this award,” said Matt Rendall, CEO and co-founder of Clearpath Robotics. “Entrepreneurship is a team sport; this milestone is shared equally amongst my dedicated business partners and the whole Clearpath team – we are in this together 100%.”

With Matt Rendall’s leadership, Clearpath Robotics became profitable within 18 months of its inception, and has since developed a customer base of leading researchers in over 25 countries around the world.

“Leading entrepreneurs see the future before it takes place,” says Colleen McMorrow, National and Ontario EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program director. “Inspiring others to embrace entrepreneurship is exactly what we need in Canada.”

Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates the contribution and spirit of entrepreneurs everywhere. The Canadian program is in its 20th year of honoring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award finalists are chosen based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneurs turn us on. To new ideas, new ways of thinking and new possibilities. We’ve shone the spotlight on entrepreneurs for 20 years – and we’ve only just begun. Nominees are reviewed by an independent judging panel composed of several distinguished business leaders and previous award recipients. The 2013 Ontario judging panel consisted of John Albright, Founder and Managing Partner, Relay Ventures; Claude Haw, Managing Partner, Venture Coaches; Tim Jackson, Vice President, University Relations, University of Waterloo; Don Morrison, Senior Managing Director and Country Head, OMERS Private Equity; Nicole Musicco, Vice President, Funds & Co-Investments, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan; David Shaw, 2010 Ontario Entrepreneur Of The Year professional services category winner and Founder and CEO, Knightsbridge Human Capital Management; and Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO, MaRS Discovery District. www.ey.com/ca/EOY.