Visual Defence announces the delivery of its CityROVER AI system

The event featured a successful showcase of the CityROVER AI technology by the project team and personnel from Visual Defence, Durham Region, and Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN). (CNW Group/Visual Defence Inc.)

DURHAM REGION — Visual Defence announced the successful delivery of the third generation of the CityROVER artificial intelligence (AI) system. Developed in collaboration with Durham Region and with the support of the Ontario Government through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), this latest generation of CityROVER hopes to transform road maintenance operations through AI.

“In a competitive global marketplace, Ontario has proudly positioned itself as a tech titan, fostering an environment that supports innovations in ethical AI and the broader tech sector,” said Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Through the OVIN fund, our government is proud to support local companies like Visual Defence, whose made-in-Ontario CityROVER AI system is bridging cutting-edge technologies with day-to-day infrastructure and public works operations.”

Receiving nearly $1 million from the Ontario Government through the OVIN R&D Partnership Fund, which is matched by $2.2 million in partner contributions, for a total project value of nearly $3.2 million, this AI-powered smart camera system was developed with the goal of optimizing road infrastructure scanning and maintenance processes through task automation. The cameras are loaded with AI algorithms that enable them to recognize elements of their environment, allowing them to detect and report infrastructure issues.

The collaborative project covered development of the technology, including expanding the types of incidents that can be detected by the camera, automatically collecting asset data, improving compliance with maintenance standards, seamless integration to work management and repair systems, and generation of maintenance reports and asset ratings, among other capabilities. The introduction of AI technology into public works operations has enabled municipal staff at Durham Region and other municipalities to optimize maintenance and asset management workflows, leading to improved levels of both public service and safety.

“We are extremely proud of what we accomplished together with the support of OVIN, Durham Region and the innovative local government eco-system. Our partnership with Durham Region played an important role in providing test grounds to our technology and helped us to work together with the Region and with other amazing municipalities to build a community of communities that works together to push the status quo and provide services to the public in a sustainable, proactive and effective manner. We are also fortunate to have started our journey in Ontario, which has amazing provincially funded initiatives, such as OVIN, which help businesses such as ours to grow our team and get where we need to get faster and better,” said Roy Tal, Chief Technology Officer, Visual Defence Inc.