RRAIF by Rosor

The majority of countries have regions with remote communities. These are often dispersed and undense, leaving them with limited resources & underdeveloped infrastructure. As such, the response approach during outbreaks, or other emergencies, is much more unstructured when compared to that of urban areas. 

As we spoke with our remote Indigenous communities, we understood that transport drones are an ideal solution to the region’s infrastructure challenges. Based on those fundamental truths, we developed RRAIF - the Remote Response Aerial Infrastructure Framework. With this framework, drones would be used to transport test kits, vaccines, or other supplies, overcoming ground infrastructure challenges, and allowing governments to establish centralized response centers similar to those in urban environments. Bridging the gap of ground infrastructure and enabling dedicated resources to, literally, go a long way. Originally inspired by our Indigenous communities in Ontario, Canada, and developed to be scalable for use anywhere in the world. 

Many countries have remote communities that are often highly dispersed, low in population, and therefore unprioritized - living with limited resources and underdeveloped infrastructure. We also realized that, with the urban response to COVID, test centers were created to cover an area rather than attempting to address each household or block individually - something that would have been much more logistically challenging. But, with remote regions, this is exactly what’s happening as governments are forced to chaotically coordinate with dozens of individual communities and councils. Our solution focuses on that underlying challenge of underdeveloped ground infrastructure, to enable a streamlined approach when responding to remote viral outbreaks.

Globally, countries with remote communities, like Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Brazil, Columbia, & Peru are abundant. We’re taking the first step in our province, Ontario, home to 25 remote Indigenous communities with a population around 17,000, living on land of great importance. Unfortunately, the isolation & neglection they face sums up to our remote Indigenous population having the highest rates of serious illness, suicide, and infant mortality nationally. During an outbreak, those challenges escalate to disproportionately impact the communities. This means the response should be quick and tactical - not the other way around. 

The technology at the core of this solution is the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or drone - but one very different from regular film drones. It’s a fixed-wing Vertical Take-off & Landing (VTOL) system, meaning it can maneuver like a helicopter with vertical take-off and landing, and traverse horizontally like a plane. This technology will be used to transport test kits, vaccines, and other supplies through the air, making quick deliveries without the need for developed ground infrastructure. Only because the drone is a very affordable & scalable infrastructure solution can our Remote Response Aerial Infrastructure Framework (RRAIF) be possible. Unlike the chaotic methods currently used to deal with remote communities during new viral outbreaks, the drone enabled RRAIF is a streamlined response approach. For example in Ontario, instead of coordinating with dozens of communities independently, 4 centralized test centers would be designated to support 5 to 8 communities each. For our preliminary aircraft (MVP), we will utilize a basic system capable of 200km range with a 15lb payload. At a standard that meets Transport Canada’s safety guidelines, the UAS will initially be controlled by a pilot through an inexpensive communication system. In the future, this process will be autonomous.

Currently, we’re working with remote Indigenous communities that are far too often forgotten by society. In Canada, there are almost 200,000 of such Indigenous people living remotely. In our first pilot project, we are currently focusing on a small piece of that in our own province of Ontario. Here that involves 25 remote Indigenous communities and a population of just under 17,000. 

We’ve been talking with the communities at every step of the way, from those on the front-line to those in leadership positions. The reason we’re doing any of this is to address their needs, so we are constantly communicating with them to ensure it’s built ideally for their use. We are also speaking with regional logistics companies and Indigenous think tanks that are directly involved with issues of infrastructure and healthcare in the area. 

Within the year, our drone technology will be implemented to several flight paths between the communities. This proof of concept will enable the intra-community transport of supplies affordable & effectively, with a goal that every community in the region can have this tool in the next couple of years. Once feasibility is proven through, we will work to implement the technology globally.

With our system, governments can ensure they are prepared to respond to the needs of their remote communities during a viral outbreak. Drones are an effective tool to overcome distance & infrastructure barriers, allowing a streamlined response that enables effective monitoring of the disease and the supply needs of the region. Our solution is directly developed so that when a viral outbreak occurs, the most underlying challenges with distance, infrastructure, and resources of remote communities aren’t exacerbated. As seen provincially, remote Indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by outbreaks - we hope to reverse that trend through innovation.

There are several unique things about our technology and its application. 

Firstly, the Remote Response Aerial Infrastructure Framework (RRAIF) is a novel application of drone technology. Although government entities like police forces have begun using drones for several reasons, even with Canadian companies like InDro Robotics, the idea of using them on such a scale & with such impact is ambitious - though highly technically feasible. 

Secondly, we're using an electric fixed-wing VTOL, as mentioned above. This is a feasible solution because the weight of the packages we can transport is on the lighter side. As well, our future drone that will begin development next year is based and developed on leading research in the field - meaning the efficiency of the tech will be even higher. Nationally, our biggest competitor is Drone Delivery Canada. A publicly traded company focused on using short range, non-electric drones. They are focused mostly on supporting current Third Party Logistics (3pl) companies like DSV. Internationally, there are several new companies who have also come to similar technical conclusions as us in regards to the fixed-wing eVTOL, such as Wincopter. 

Our approach to remote response during a viral outbreak - the Remote Response Aerial Infrastructure Framework (RRAIF) - is a completely novel use of drone technology. This enables the establishment of testing hubs even in remote areas with dispersed communities. It is feasible because the weight of test kits, supplies, or vaccines are light weight cargo, and the efficiency of the fixed-wing eVTOL system enables long-distance mobility. Specifically, the preliminary aircraft (MVP) will transport cargo up to 15lb at a range of 200km.

As well, once we begin manufacturing our aircrafts next year, the fruits of our R&D - spearheaded by leading Canadian Masters & PHDs - will see improvements to performance efficiency far greater than that of industry status quo.

Drone technology has existed for many years, first for Military use, then for filming and racing in the civilian sector. The use for transporting civilian-sector supplies is fairly novel, beginning implementation only in the last 3 years. Notable companies, like Zipline Drones and Google Wing, are beginning to lay the foundation for this technology - both in terms of market awareness & legislative reform. In fact, numerous firms & analysts believe the next 10 years will be more transformative for aerial mobility than the last 20-30 were.

A short clip of our technology in action during testing: on youtube.

Through the implementation of our drone system in a region, the short-term effects would be national media attention on issues & the importance of innovation (something especially critical to unprioritized remote communities), new local tool for intracommunity supply mobility, and the creation of new local jobs. In the mid-term, that will develop to new societal & government attention to issues, more local jobs & hope amongst citizens, better access to critical supplies like prescriptions, better connectivity with community and rest of country, & during times of crisis reception of more effective and safe response (RRAIF). In the long-term, our goal for the technology, wherever we may implement it in the world, is to elevate the communities standard of living. Through improved access to critical supplies leading to decreased morbidity & mortality, renewed government interest in issues, new high-quality jobs causing local economic growth, and an overall increased sense of community & hope. 

Currently, as the technology is in testing, the number is 0. 

In the next year, the number of people it will have directly served, or indirectly but meaningfully impacted will be upwards of 17,000. 

In the next 5 years, based on macro market acceleration & globally needs, our independent & third party studies, current connections and other factors, the potential number of people it will have directly, or indirectly but meaningfully impacted will conservatively be upwards of 3 million. 

We have a thorough long-term strategy that involves drone-enabled services, implemented in similar & novel ways globally, as an affordable & effective solution to some of the most fundamental infrastructure, healthcare & connectivity needs of the world today. We see many ways current hardware can be improved, which will occur once we begin manufacturing. It will also be implemented for unaddressed issues in multiple specific regions, globally. Within the next year, we will be past our financial & legal barriers, well into supporting the needs of our remote Indigenous communities, finalizing our 2nd R&D study, beginning manufacturing, and in the initial phases of our first International Joint Venture (IJV). In the next 5 years, we plan to have a minimum of 3 million meaningful flights. These are flights that would have varying impacts, from supporting a local economy to saving a life. We plan to achieve this through partnerships with governments, funds, and other firms. Though this may seem overly ambitious to some, we believe the technology is at a critical point, where the next 5 years will see some of the world's biggest mobility needs addressed.

In the next year, our barriers are legal and financial. Though we are confident the technology will pass Transport Canada's guidelines, that is one of the first hurdles we must pass before the technology is operational for long-periods of time. As well, the aerospace industry is highly capital intensive. As a startup, our next challenge will be to secure funding, whether through partnerships, venture capital or others. This becomes slightly more difficult as we want to insure that the entities providing capital will believe in the mission, as opposed to purely seeking exponential growth (as is expected of most startups). We believe our strong dedication to our mission of social impact, and to maintaining a strong balance sheet, will keep us on a proper & sustainable path to do good.

To pass the legal hurdles of flight regulations, which are experienced by all companies, we will have to finish the comprehensive testing phase we are currently in. By pushing the technology to its limits, we can better understand the full capabilities and failure modes it possesses. We expect this to be passed within 2 months. As for our financial needs, we expect the connections we are actively strengthening, both nationally & internationally, to blossom into amazing long-term partnerships. Such partnerships, in the forms of co-development and joint ventures, will not only resolve our financials needs but will also work to insure we create the best service we can. As well, through more government grants and the signing of contracts with early adopters, we believe the next year will see a drastic change in our financial position. 

We have 16 total staff members directly involved in the project. We have 3 full-time members, 12 part-time members, and 2 contractors. Those figure do not include staff from our partner organizations who put in significant amounts of time, effort, and valuable consultation on the project.

We're a team of passionate specialists that are rallying to apply our skills for a valuable social impact. On the technical side, we have multiple Bachelors, Masters & PhD graduates, and industry professionals working to make the technology, and its implementation, a success. 

Our Bachelor’s candidates and graduates study electrical, computer, mechatronic, mechanical, and aerospace engineering disciplines. Our Masters students research and develop aerospace structures, composite materials, manufacturing processes, and computer control systems. Our PhD graduates have completed their research in computer vision and specialized vertical take-off and landing aircraft systems. 

In addition to our education, most of our members have been a part of Ryerson’s drone program where we have acquired years of hands on practical experience building new and innovative drone solutions for the annual Unmanned Systems Canada Student Competition. 

Our industry experts that collaborate with our team when called upon hold decades of experience in business consulting and military unmanned systems. 

With our joint experience, we cover all technical aspects of the systems to ensure the success of our project. 

We're currently partnering with both public & private sector entities. Firstly, Ryerson University was not only an instrumental factor for our creation, but is also currently a big supporter for this project. We have several partnerships with private entities nationally, & internationally, working to either support the implementation of the technology for their own needs or cooperating with us to develop & implement it. As well, it has been exciting to see the community rally around this problem & solution - offering anything from valuable advice to free use of assets.

We are a service based, Business to Business (B2B) & Business to Government (B2G), for-profit company. The service we provide is the implementation & integration, operation, and maintenance of unmanned aerial systems. The ideal goal we have for any of our clients, is to have a beneficial social impact. Those projects, with some exceptions, will be funded by governments - either directly as Business to Government (B2G) or indirectly as Business to Business transactions. As well, to sustain our capabilities and ensure progress towards our vision, we will also partner with private sector entities to improve logistical efficiency. We're confident in this business model based on the large cost-saving, environmental, and safety competitive advantages the technology has, backed by our independent research and third-party studies.

As our solution is innovative, safe, zero-emission, and with amazing social impact to communities disproportionately impacted by healthcare issues, our communication with government seems promising. We expect that a good portion of our capital will come from government grants, or will go further with various tax incentives. That said, we expect the major player in our financial sustainability to be contracts from early adopter clients who see the potential for impact and believe in our mission.  We have our eyes on a few accelerators and VCs that aren't purely focused on growth, growth, growth but on meaningful social impact as well. It is possible that we will look for such investment within the next 2 years. 

We're applying to Solve for two main reasons. The primary reason is that we believe this is an invaluable eco-system where we can connect with critical partners and other innovators. We're still a young company, and although we're confident in our engineering & operations capabilities, there's still much we are inexperienced in. We'd also add that winning the competition will give credibility to the technology & application which, when you have very ambitious goals, is always impactful!

As well, as we're a young company with limited funds, the grant would be very impactful to our future. If it wasn't for the amazing national and global innovation supporters, like Solve, we'd likely be forced to 'sell our soul' to a venture capital firm to make any real progress. Challenges and grants from entities like Solve support innovators when they need it most, so they can pass it down and create impact for others in need in the near future.

As a young group of entrepreneurs, there is still much we are inexperienced in when it comes to building & growing a truly impactful company. That includes insuring we implement the technology effectively, we aren't needlessly slowed down by legal, operational, and financial challenges due to misjudgement, we operate in a fiscally sustainable yet well growing manner, and we do things to insure the optimal social impact of innovation. For all this and more, we value the judgement of those with more experience than us, and continue to rely on the support of friends, partners and advisors as we move forward. Such connections, that you can truly discuss with and rely on, are often hard to come by, but we see there are plenty in the MIT/Solve ecosystem. 

We see the MIT, and Massachusetts in general, as a leading ecosystem for knowledge and innovation. We'd love to connect with the students & faculty of AeroAstro. We've been keeping an eye on it ever since we came across an article where MIT students were building systems for search & rescue in poor signal environments. We have our eyes on a couple specific people and projects but, overall, we think the talent found in MIT could be extremely enabling for our vision and growth. As well, with industry giants like Thermo Fisher and Raytheon, we are confident MA (& MIT) will be an excellent place to build connections for potential members of the Advisory Board or the Board of Directors.

Our company, and the Remote Response Aerial Infrastructure Framework (RRAIF) solution, were built based on the huge problems we saw with COVID response. The disproportionately hurting Indigenous communities became more vulnerable than ever, and government response was ineffective and slow. 

We've identified that our technology, and our mission of using innovation that utilize the sky in service of the fundamental needs of society, are best served for the healthcare infrastructure needs of remote communities. Within the next two years, we will continue to implement this technology not only for the isolated remote Indigenous communities in Canada, but for countless communities on the African continent facing needless morbidity & mortality due to infrastructure challenges (through an IJV). We truly believe this support will have a crucial impact in saving lives in North American & Africa starting within the next year, as we begin to be relied on by our partners for our engineering & operational expertise. 

All this means that we strive towards saving lives and improving the conditions of the people living in remote communities. And, we are confident that through blood, sweat & tears we will create meaningful impact within the next year - and we couldn't be more excited.