A California-based firm that builds unmanned aircraft for clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense is ramping up its presence in the National Capital Region. Founded in 1998, Edge Autonomy specializes in small, remote-controlled lightweight aircraft with wingspans of about four to five metres that are used by military, law enforcement and other clients […]
A California-based firm that builds unmanned aircraft for clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense is ramping up its presence in the National Capital Region.
Founded in 1998, Edge Autonomy specializes in small, remote-controlled lightweight aircraft with wingspans of about four to five metres that are used by military, law enforcement and other clients in nearly 80 countries for tasks such as surveillance and object tracking.
One of the firm’s customers is the Canadian Armed Forces. About 15 months ago, the company set up a small operation at Ottawa’s Area X.O, a 1,900-acre testing ground for autonomous vehicles where Edge Autonomy puts its products through the paces in a fenced-off area at heights of up to 120 metres.
Edge Autonomy currently has just one locally based employee – Tim Muchmore, a former Canadian air force officer who now serves as the company's Canadian program manager.
But that’s about to change.
Andy Ward, Edge Autonomy’s director of business development for the U.S. Army and Americas, says a number of other potential Canadian customers, including the RCMP, are looking at buying some of the firm’s unmanned vehicles – which retail for about US$2 million – for tasks such as patrolling the Canada-U.S. border.
As a result, the company is hoping to hire engineers and other skilled workers in Ottawa to help it further refine its technology.
One area of concern for company officials is the crafts’ relay systems, for example. Signals take time to travel from the controller to the aircraft, and since Edge Autonomy’s vehicles can whiz through the sky at speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour, even a split-second delay can significantly alter a craft’s course.
The company is hoping to hire at least two engineers at Area X.O. Their to-do list will include projects such as figuring out how to cut the lag time in getting signals from pilot to aircraft “to milliseconds as opposed to half a second,” Ward explains.
Muchmore says the all-weather AV and robotics R&D facility on Woodroffe Avenue, which features 5G network infrastructure and a host of other cutting-edge technologies, sets Ottawa apart from other Canadian tech hubs.
“We can literally take (vehicles) out of the lab into the (testing area), fly them around and then come back into the lab, tweak it and refine it,” he says. “You can’t do that in most cities.”
Now, Muchmore just has to bring in the right candidates with expertise in unmanned systems. And that, he explains, is easier said than done.
“We have a lab ready to go. I just need smart kids to put in it,” he says. “It’s harder to find people than I thought it would be.” 
