In the last decade, many predictions came out of Silicon Valley on when autonomous vehicles would be hitting roads—in fact, a lot of people expected that self-driving cars would be a common sight in 2021. In 2015, Elon Musk infamously declared that fully functional self-driving cars were just two years away. Five years later, in July of 2020, Musk again predicted that by the end of the year, Tesla would have fully autonomous cars on the road. Safety, however, is the biggest technical challenge this industry is facing to turn these predictions into reality. And the industry won’t scale until the problem of safety is solved.
Enter Correct-AI, a company working in the heavy-duty equipment industry where safety is at the forefront of every business decision that is made. Correct-AI has the vision to create accident-free worksites—and they’re using advanced technology, similar to that used in autonomous vehicles to do it. Located in the City of Edmonton, Correct-AI has ambitions to be a global player in autonomous construction equipment and workplace safety. They have an interesting business model, based on developing trust in the technology, and its ability to deliver on the safety needs of its end-users to advance the technology along the spectrum, towards becoming completely autonomous. It seems to be working; based on the momentous growth the company has seen since their inception in 2020, they are poised to dominate this market.
In co-founding the company, CEO Siamak Akhlaghi understood that safety for all workers is a critical priority for companies in this sector and for Correct-AI to be successful, they needed to develop trust in their technology. The unfortunate reality is companies often seek solutions only following an accident or injury. Correct-AI aims to be proactive in construction safety, and the path forward lies in creating trust between automation and human actors.
Correct-AI is an innovative leader in industrial robotics for safety solutions. They are the only company on the market using light detection and ranging (LIDAR), camera, and artificial intelligence to provide precise, real-time information and notifications regarding obstacle proximity and slope angles to help workers navigate challenging terrain. The PROX-EYE (TM) vision guidance system provides information that minimizes risk of collisions, rollovers, and struck-bys—the most common worksite accidents. One feature that significantly sets them apart? Product connectivity. Real-time information is shared between operators, workers, and company owners, thanks to LTE and soon 5G connection. Connection also means Correct-AI can provide remote support for their products and customers.
Original equipment manufacturers from across British Columbia, Alberta and the United States are paying customers of Correct-AI, adopting their tech to provide safety solutions for their heavy-duty industrial equipment. Notably, SITECH Western Canada, as part of Finning—the world’s largest Caterpillar equipment dealer—has adopted the company’s PROX-EYE (TM) system. Partnerships with these major industry leaders validate Correct-AI’s technology and demonstrate support of their innovative approach to equipment safety, and their path to automation.
The Edmonton region has been the ideal locus for Correct-AI’s boom. Many reputable and established construction companies are based here and customers of Correct-AI. And to the company’s delight, the region’s northern connections provide quick access to the lucrative energy sector centred in Northern Canada. The regulations and culture established by Alberta businesses are unmatched and striking deals with them reinforces the confidence and trust placed within Correct-AI.
“Being located in one of the world’s top artificial intelligence centers also has its advantages,” says Siamak. The University of Alberta, ranked 3rd globally for AI research, is a great source of top-tier tech talent to support their product development. Correct-AI has collaborative relationships with professors in labs working on computer vision and autonomous solutions and has a direct connection to the recruitable talent graduating from them.
Siamak also believes the Edmonton region is the place to be because it offers the perfect conditions to test and demonstrate the range of their product capabilities—extreme cold temperatures in the winter and hot summer temperatures prove technological reliability across climates.
Tech skepticism will be overcome by on-the-ground proof of concept, which Correct-AI is quickly gathering. From collision warning systems to avoidance systems, and eventually, to auto-decision-making processes, Correct-AI’s customers are now coming to them to provide the next step in autonomous technologies for their equipment. The company is forging ahead and providing needed solutions across industries. With an ambitious 2021 and 2022 schedule, Correct-AI is open to investors, collaborators and businesses to see for themselves what automation means for the future of construction safety and how that will translate into providing other applications for autonomous vehicles.
