Seamatica Aerospace develops technology for safer skies

Technology companies are growing Atlantic Canada's aerospace and defence sector - and the economy - by developing innovative products and services, creating jobs, and increasing global exports. Investments from the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador are helping Seamatica Aerospace Limited develop industry-leading technology to help make the airspace safer.

"We are committed to fostering a strong, resilient, innovative and globally competitive economy. Companies like Seamatica Aerospace Limited help make that possible and we are pleased to support businesses that create technology-driven jobs and opportunities."

- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA

"The tech industry in Newfoundland and Labrador is creative, innovative and determined to grow even bigger. Seamatica Aerospace's ground-breaking sensor technology makes our skies safer by preventing air collisions. It's another example of how a small start-up in our province is making a big difference around the world."

- The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for St. John's South-Mount Pearl

"This cutting edge technology is the next step in using remotely piloted aircraft fleets for commercial operations. Through its state of the art sensors, Seamatica is addressing a tech gap in monitoring airspace that does not yet exist. This impressive innovative solution by a local company will help improve safety, save costs and increase efficiency as unmanned aircraft progress in the future."

- The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology

"Seamatica's patented Chronos technology addresses three market niches: anti-collision, navigation without GPS, and traffic validation. The validation market will likely mature first, enabling the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada and other air navigation service providers worldwide to confirm GPS-based reported traffic position in the next-gen airspace using Chronos as a secondary sensor."

- Dr. Siu O'Young, President, Seamatica Aerospace Limited

• Seamatica Aerospace Limited is a small start-up company that evolved from an applied research and development initiative at Memorial University. The company's autonomous collision avoidance system has applications in aerospace and defence sectors around the world.

• Seamatica Aerospace anticipates that Chronos will be the first 'detect and avoid' system to meet new Transport Canada rules for beyond visual line of sight drone operation.

• Chronos will significantly reduce the cost to monitor airspace and make it safer for commercial operators such as delivery services to use drones.

• Non-towered airports can use Chronos to determine the position of transponder-equipped aircraft with more precision and accuracy, which would significantly widen the airspace range they can monitor.

• The funding announced today is provided through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)'s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program.

• The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) is also providing Seamatica Aerospace with advisory services and up to $150,000 towards the technical development aspects of their system.