From building robots in the basement to putting algorithms on the moon

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Clearpath's automated robot working in factory floors
Four friends and Mechatronics Engineering students at the University of Waterloo – Matt Rendall (BASc ’08, MBET ’09), Ryan Gariepy (BASc ’09, MASc ’12), Pat Martinson (BASc ’09), and Bryan Webb (BASc ’09) – started building robots 13 years ago.

With their continuous growth of interest and the involvement in UW Robotics Team, they successfully carried out their final-year engineering project and used this as an idea for their company – Clearpath Robotics.

“Robots take up a lot of space and so pretty soon, they were spilling out all over the place. We had some access to the robotics lab at the University; we had some space at the Accelerator Centre and we were using one of the founder’s basements,” says Rendall, chief executive officer of Clearpath Robotics, about how the company got started.

Clearpath has now become a multi-million-dollar enterprise that now has 320 employees, devoted to autonomous vehicle technology.

Clearpath Robotics is also working closely with Brampton-based MDA, developer of Canadarm to develop the software that drives the robotic lunar rover to the moon in 2026.

“I would say the intellectual property policy at the University of Waterloo, where you can own everything that you invent, plays a big role.” Says Rendall when asked about Clearpath’s success.

The story about Clearpath is now published in the University of Waterloo Magazine, inspiring more and more students to chase their dreams.