Tech of tomorrow on display today at Ottawa expo
Self-driving cars, autonomous robots, and unmanned aerial delivery drones aren’t just the future, they’re all part of the technology on display in the present, at a showcase in Ottawa.
Some of the offerings included a driverless sidewalk plow, ready to take on winter, and a self-driving Lexus outfitted with various cameras, sensors, and computers, able to detect and stop for a pedestrian.
Area X.O., Transport Canada, and Innovation Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada hosted TCXpo, a national smart mobility tech demo day on Tuesday.
“This is being attended by businesses from across Canada, so some of the exhibits that you see have actually brought their technology here to Ottawa because of the really interesting and unique infrastructure that we have in place so that we can showcase it,” said Michael Tremblay, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa. “We have government, we have academia, and we have industry big and small here today.”
More than 50 companies from Ottawa and across Canada demonstrated their “smart mobility technology” on Tuesday.
“It really is an exposition. We get to show off some of the next generation mobility scenarios that I think are going to advance Canada’s economy,” said Tremblay. “Some of these companies are going to help tackle the world’s wicked problems.”
Companies like Sky Canoe, which displayed an unmanned aerial vehicle that director John Rowinski said is designed to carry cargo to remote areas,
“Remote communities, remote needs; look at the cost of groceries, for example, in northern communities in Canada. If you can cut those costs down, and transportation is a huge part of those costs, then you’re serving a need for those communities and businesses surrounding those communities.”
Also on display was an unmanned off-road vehicle from a company which started in a Barrhaven garage. Their technology is now deployed in m,ilitary vehicles, according to Luc Brunet of Provectus Robotics Solutions.
“You can do more with less people. It’s not to remove people; it’s to enhance what you already have, so you’ll see a lot of militaries using it as a ‘force multiplier,’ as what they call it,” Brunet explained.
There was also technology to make farming more efficient.
“We can grow more with less and be better environmentalists, and really help reduce our overall impact on the environment,” said Jordan Wallace of GPS Ontario.
For those who attended, “This is a pretty outstanding event. We’re actually seeing really cutting edge stuff that we would have no other opportunity see anywhere else,” said an educator from Mohawk College.
“It’s definitely very innovative and I can see so many applications in just like improving our lives in the future,” said another attendee.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10,000 Zantac lawsuits in U.S.: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.