Canada is one of the largest countries in the world, with vast distances separating many of its communities. While most people live in concentrated urban areas, many others—especially in the North—live in remote areas where roads are limited and weather can make travel difficult. Getting food, medical supplies and other essentials to these places can be slow and unreliable.
During the COVID‑19 pandemic, these challenges became more visible. Shortages of medical supplies in remote and Indigenous communities highlighted the need for faster, more dependable delivery options. Drones are emerging as a promising solution, but there are still technical hurdles—such as flying safely beyond the operator's line of sight and navigating in harsh conditions.
To address these challenges, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) brought together partners from across the country. Led by Dr. Iraj Mantegh from the NRC's Aerospace Research Centre, this national collaboration included experts from the University of Ottawa, the University of Victoria, and Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as industry players InDro Robotics and KoptR Imaging, and the Cowichan Tribes in British Columbia.
Together, they explored how drones can deliver supplies safely and efficiently while monitoring their surroundings and avoiding obstacles.
Improving drone navigation safety
One part of the collaboration focused on helping drones fly safely in the air towards and around large or remote structures, such as bridges or towers. A team from the University of Ottawa, led by Professor Miodrag Bolic, and NRC researchers developed advanced sensors and collision‑avoidance systems so drones could detect and respond to other aircraft and obstacles on their path. KoptR Imaging supported flight tests in Ottawa and Montréal, helping the team evaluate performance under real conditions.
At the same time, researchers from the University of Victoria, led by Professor Homayoun Najjaran, used artificial intelligence and computer vision to build tools that allow drones to map and inspect structures in detail, while navigating safely around them. These tools help identify cracks or other defects from the images the drones capture, supporting safer infrastructure maintenance.
Automating drone navigation using AI
Another portion of the collaboration project focused on exploring how drones could plan their routes, take off, land, and deliver goods autonomously. Researchers and engineers from Toronto Metropolitan University, led by Professor Farrokh Janabi‑Sharifi, teamed up with InDro Robotics and the Cowichan Tribes to create intelligent flight‑planning systems that allow drones to pick up and deliver packages safely.
"This project marks a significant milestone in advancing drone technologies. The collective expertise, dedication and innovation of all partners were instrumental in achieving the project objectives." says Prof. Janabi-Sharifi.
Prof. Bolic agrees, sharing that "this partnership has greatly enhanced our ability to conduct safe Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations." He highlighted the NRC's key role in bringing together academic, industrial and community partners, and in providing access to test sites, platforms and specialized expertise.
These projects also trained many graduate students and early‑career researchers. By working directly with NRC researchers, university faculty and industry experts, they gained valuable hands‑on experience in drone design, artificial intelligence and flight testing.
Field test takes off
The teams came together for field tests in Victoria and Cowichan Tribes territory on Vancouver Island. These demonstrations combined Indigenous, academic and industrial expertise to test the new technologies in real‑world conditions.
In one test, a drone flew 6 kilometres over water from Crofton to Salt Spring Island, successfully navigating and landing using the new beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight systems. Another demonstration, organized by the NRC and InDro Robotics, simulated an obstacle course to test real‑time collision‑avoidance sensors. A third test involved using AI‑enabled cameras to inspect and model a wooden bridge from the air.
"Projects like this show what's possible when industry, academia, First Nation and research partners collaborate," says Philip Reece, Founder and CEO of InDro Robotics. "By testing advanced technologies in real environments, we're helping ensure these innovations serve Canadians in meaningful ways."
The Cowichan Tribes played a key role by providing access to local sites and sharing insights about how drone technology could support their emergency services. Their involvement ensured the research reflected real community needs.
The results were promising. The systems proved they could help drones fly safely in remote environments, avoid obstacles, and land accurately. These advances in Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) technology could transform how Canada delivers goods and inspects infrastructure in hard‑to‑reach places.
Building stronger connections
Beyond technology, the project also built lasting relationships. The NRC's Integrated Aerial Mobility and AI for Logistics programs played a central role in connecting partners and sharing expertise, while the collaboration with the Cowichan Tribes fostered mutual trust and understanding. The research teams plan to continue working together to refine the systems and share results with industry and other drone users.
By combining artificial intelligence, robotics and community collaboration, this research is helping to make drone operations safer, smarter and more reliable. The work is also paving the way for better connections between Canada's remote and urban communities—one flight at a time.
Key benefits of drone collaborative research and innovation
- Builds and strengthens partnerships between researchers, communities, academia, and industry collaborators across the country
- Boosts drone navigation safety with advanced sensors
- Advances AI-powered tools for remote infrastructure inspection
- Enables autonomous delivery of supplies to remote locations
- Provides valuable data sets that may be available to the industry, academia and drone users
- Trains students and researchers and offers hands-on experience