Article
Building prosperity by ensuring safe public infrastructure
Harsh Rathod — Co-founder and CEO, Niricson
Institution(s)
University of Victoria
Province(s)
British Columbia
A new solution for safety checks on public infrastructure
North America’s public infrastructure is at risk. Around half of our bridges, dams and other critical infrastructure are beyond their designed lifespan and extreme weather caused by climate change is putting them under additional stress.
This infrastructure — critical to our daily lives — is often safety-tested by an inspector who climbs the structure and physically measures and knocks on it with a hammer to test for vulnerabilities in the concrete. Harsh Rathod is taking a different approach.
I came to Canada because I knew that research done here is valued around the world.
Canadian research valued around the world
Rathod’s company, Niricson, uses drones with a patented striking mechanism to perform the knock test. The drones are also outfitted with visual, acoustic and infrared components to enhance what can be monitored. The data is uploaded to Niricson’s platform (AUTOSPEX™) which uses AI and data fusion techniques to automatically map and quantify damage on a concrete structure.
The idea came to Rathod in 2015, after he had moved from India to conduct his PhD work in civil engineering at the University of Victoria’s Facility for Innovative Materials and Infrastructure Management (FIMIM).
Building prosperity for Canada
- Listed by Forbes among the top 25 of Canada’s Best Startup Employers for 2024
- 50 employees
- 35+ clients, including BC Hydro, CN Rail and Transport Canada, and Pearson International Airport
- Operating in six countries (Australia, Canada, United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and India)
Developed in the lab, proven in the field
For Rathod, having access to top-of-the-line equipment in the CFI-funded lab was crucial to push the boundaries of drone technology and for his idea to be competitive. The lab location on the outskirts of the university also gave him the space he needed to test his early prototypes in real-world conditions.
Niricson’s first major client was BC Hydro, and since then the company has been contracted by Transport Canada and CN Rail to monitor bridges, and Toronto’s Pearson International Airport for airfield inspections, among other clients in Canada and abroad.