On Thursday in Sudbury, the federal government announced $1.5 million in FedNor funding for a mining testing facility and an emerging AI company as Sudbury becomes an innovation hub. LOOPX is a startup company based in Sudbury that moved north from Waterloo two years ago to bring smart and AI technologies to the mining sector. “We have a focus on safety, primarily, and also other applications in productivity,” said Connor Hamstra, LOOPX head of systems deployment. “We have a collision avoidance system, which is helping people see through dust and darkness underground. And we also have some systems to track the productivity of trucks and loaders in underground mines.” The company received $480,000 from FedNor to advance its AI-powered analytics system. “Sudbury is creating an innovation hub and what we are seeing now is that we have enterprises that are moving and coming to Sudbury,” said Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe. Lapointe also announced more than $1 million in funding to complete Phase 3 of the NORCAT Underground Centre expansion in Onaping. Jason Bubba, NORCAT’s chief operating officer, said it’s key for companies to really test their products in realistic situations. “When they are developing this technology, it’s one thing to develop it in a lab or office building,” Bubba said. “It’s another thing to be able to develop that technology (an) environment where they can install that technology and demonstrate it and test it to where there’s blasting, there is mining activity, there is heavy equipment going past.” LOOPX said the centre offers valuable opportunities. “We use that NORCAT testing facility almost every week and it provides an excellent space for us to test out new technologies before actually deploying them, ” said Hamstra. Officials with NORCAT said it is proud to be a locally driven organization that promotes, educates and supports entrepreneurs, innovators and workers.
