Independent Robotics Inc., a Canadian AI and robotics company specializing in advanced interfaces for autonomous systems, has been awarded a $2.28 million contract under the Government of Canada’s Innovative Solutions Canada program, administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
Novel software allows humans to speak orders to robots.
The contract will support the further development and operational testing of IMPAC, Independent Robotics’ natural-language command and control software for autonomous robots (uncrewed systems). Through this program, IMPAC will be evaluated in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), supporting research into how advanced autonomy and human-machine interfaces can be deployed in real-world defence contexts.
IMPAC enables operators to interact with robotic systems the way they interact with people: turning natural language commands into executable plans across complex, multi-agent and multi-domain environments. The software is designed to operate at the edge, with limited connectivity, making it well-suited to defence, security, and remote inspection missions.
“This is an exciting time for Canadian defence and robotics innovation,” said Julian Ware, CEO of Independent Robotics.
“This award reflects growing recognition that fast, robust human-machine interfaces will play a critical role as defence operations modernize. A program like Innovation Solutions Canada allows Canadian companies to work directly with federal research partners to drive rapid development and validate technologies aligned with real operational needs.”
Innovative Solutions Canada’s Testing Stream is designed to help Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises test late-stage innovations within federal departments, accelerating the path from development to deployment while strengthening Canada’s domestic innovation ecosystem.
