From power plants to battlefields: How a Fredericton tech company helps workers troubleshoot in the field

When a military vehicle breaks down on the battlefield, flying in an expert is not an option. But a Fredericton-based company is changing that with its software that’s bringing real-time expertise straight to the field. 

The Remote Spark technology uses live, holographic video calls to connect users with experts around the world. And it’s all packed into a sleek pair of glasses. 

Ryan Groom, Kognitiv Spark's co–founder and chief technology officer, said it’s just one of many examples of how the software is supporting workers trying to troubleshoot complex issues on their own. 

“You’re trying to fix something very expensive or very unique,” he said. “All you do is you pull the glasses out, it connects to an expert, they can see what you see, they're giving you guidance in your ear.”

“Plus they're pushing down content, maybe a PDF or a diagram, to help you fix what you're doing,” he said.

The technology was always there — but originally, it was included in a big, heavy hard hat and has since slimmed down considerably into a pair of glasses. 

Groom said the smaller the headset, the more people proved interested in the software. And with this latest model set to be released sometime in the new year, he expects “it's going to be a massive game changer.”

Groom said most of the company's customers are either based in the United Kingdom or the United States.

But conversations underway with the Canadian government amid record military spending could change that. 

Although Groom said there are still some things he can't talk about, “it looks very positive, both from vendors that require this to actually the way the government's going to help companies like ours to get this to our military.”

Last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced an additional $81.8 billion over five years to rearm the Canadian military. He also pledged to reach NATO’s defence spending target of two per cent of gross domestic product this fiscal year, along with a new Buy Canadian Procurement Policy to ensure Canadian businesses are prioritized.

Critics have been skeptical of if the government will be able to get all that money out the door by spring, but Defence Minister David McGuinty insists that spending is on track. 

Groom said the company's military contracts focus on vehicle maintenance, which often involves sophisticated equipment or weapon systems that break down without a manufacturer nearby to fix or diagnose the problem.

“You have these complex weapon systems on boats, tanks, on foot, and you have a problem with it, and if that person's not there, that piece of equipment is now useless,” he said.