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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/885537
NOVEMBER 2017 BCBUSINESS 21 STATISTICS SOURCE (TOP): BROOKFIELD INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Inc. to the idea of developing soft- ware to enable robots to learn from people. From its Mount Pleasant research lab, Kindred is working with funding from Silicon Valley venture capital firms BREAKTHROUGH: The company aims to deliver human and artificial "intelligence on tap" to any machine. One example is an industrial ware- house robot called the Orb, a robotic arm operated by a mix of human and automated controls. When a person takes over, the software adapts, with the goal that the machine will learn to perform new tasks on its own CUSTOMERS: Kindred is looking to deploy its Orb in warehouses soon 4. GENESIS ROBOTICS HEADQUARTERS: Langley FOUNDED: 2015 FOUNDERS: Michael Gibney and James Klassen EMPLOYEES: 50+ FINANCIALS: More than $28 million raised from angel investors ORIGIN STORY: Robots have always moved awkwardly because of their limited range of motion. Genesis was spun off from robotics R&D outfit Genesis Advanced Technology to tackle the problem by designing a better actuator BREAKTHROUGH: The LiveDrive actuator, which responds like a human joint, could deliver the torque necessary to replace robots' traditional electric motor and gearbox joints CUSTOMERS: Genesis hasn't com- mercialized its technology, but it's working with global companies to bring LiveDrive to market 5. INUKTUN SERVICES LTD. HEADQUARTERS: Nanaimo LAUNCHED: 1989 FOUNDER: Terry Knight and Allen (Al) Robinson EMPLOYEES: 55+ FINANCIALS: About $10 million in annual sales ORIGIN STORY: Inuktun launched as a side gig to sell remote operated submersibles for the consumer mar- ket, but industrial clients proved more rewarding. The company specializes in interchangeable components, somewhat like industrial Lego, for robots such as its flagship MaggHD BREAKTHROUGH: Inuktun's Variable Geometry Tracked Vehicle plunged down mining tunnels, crawled through nuclear power plants and slipped into pipes. It put the company on the map and was one of four robots used to search for survivors after 9/11 CUSTOMERS: BC Hydro and Power Authority, Dow Chemical Co. and the U.S. Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center–plus the Discovery Channel, which used Inuktun's robotic cameras and crawlers to produce Shark Week 6. APEX MOTION CONTROL INC. HEADQUARTERS: Surrey LAUNCHED: 2000 FOUNDER: Rob Antonides EMPLOYEES: 8 FINANCIALS: $1.5 million in annual sales, with 100 per cent growth for two years straight ORIGIN STORY: When Antonides moved to Vancouver from Minneapolis, his former boss encouraged the Penticton native to start his own automation business. Soon after, the electrical engineer was introduced to the bakery industry, and he's been designing sanitary-food machines ever since BREAKTHROUGH: Despite years of automation in the food business, decorating cakes is still largely a manual task. Enter the Decobot, a machine that can do everything from making cupcake swirls to writing "Happy Birthday" CUSTOMERS: Industrial bakeries in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. 7. MOTION METRICS INTERNATIONAL CORP. HEADQUARTERS: Vancouver LAUNCHED: 1999 FOUNDER: Shahram Tafazoli EMPLOYEES: 60 FINANCIALS: Annual sales of more than $10 million; 30 per cent revenue growth in 2016-17 ORIGIN STORY: Tafazoli was wrapping up a PhD in robotics and intelligent systems at UBC when he saw an opportunity to tackle some of the toughest challenges in the mining industry. Since starting Motion Metrics, he's worked on developing solutions to allow mines and quarries to operate more safely and efficiently BREAKTHROUGH: Shovel- Metrics Missing Tooth Detection is a monitoring system for mining shovels that detects tooth wear and prevents missing teeth from entering the crusher or conveyor belt and leading to dangerous and costly repair jobs. In 2015, Freeport- McMoRan Inc., one of the world's largest copper miners, became the first company to adopt it CUSTOMERS: Some of the biggest names in mining: Barrick Gold Corp., BHP Billiton Group, Canadian Natural Resources, Goldcorp Inc., Rio Tinto and Teck Resources Ltd. 3 Proportion of Canadian labour force at high risk of being affected by automation over the next 10 to 20 years Proportion at low risk Top three jobs at high risk of automation Top three jobs at low risk of automation 36% Retail salesperson 656,000 363,000 Administrative assistant 329,000 Registered nurse 291,000 Food counter attendant 313,000 271,000 Elementary and kindergarten teacher Retail and wholesale trade manager