Canadian robotics pioneer Ryan Gariepy: Most industries are under-automated, AI strategy should focus on deployment rather than research

Event: Canadian Robotics Pioneer Warns of "Under-Automation"

In June 2026, Clearpath Robotics co-founder Ryan Gariepy stated in an interview with *Robotics & Automation News*: "Most industries in Canada are in a state of under-automation." As the founder of a robotics company spun out from the University of Waterloo and later acquired by Rockwell Automation, his views have sparked attention in Canada's tech community.

Gariepy's career has witnessed the full journey of robotics from academic research to industrial application. Clearpath Robotics, founded in 2009, launched a series of robotics research platforms and later entered the autonomous mobile robot field through OTTO Motors. Acquired by Rockwell Automation in 2023, it became a significant milestone in Canada's robotics sector.

Causes: Triple Barriers of Culture, Knowledge, and Technological Maturity

Gariepy believes that Canada's slow automation progress stems from three core factors:

First, cultural perception. Robots are still viewed neutrally or negatively, rather than as positive tools that must be adopted. In Canada's industrial culture, automation has not yet gained the same sense of urgency as innovation.

Second, lack of best practices and references. For companies with no robotics experience, assessing automation suitability and implementing deployment is very difficult. A shortage of success stories and replicable templates hinders large-scale adoption.

Third, insufficient technological maturity. Many robotics problems applicable to Canada's distinctive industries (e.g., outdoor operations) have only become solvable in the last decade. Related products and companies are still in the early adopter stage.

Furthermore, the emerging AI hype may further confuse the issue. Gariepy noted that some well-funded companies imply that new AI models alone can significantly change adoption rates, while overlooking other critical issues such as integration, talent, and culture. For example, he considers the idea of training factory robots through VR headsets to be detached from reality.

Industry Impact: From Manufacturing to Healthcare, Ten Fields Will Be Reshaped

Gariepy listed Canadian industries that could be fundamentally reshaped by robotics within the next decade: manufacturing, resource extraction, agriculture, forestry, defense; and beyond ten years: construction, healthcare, fisheries, transportation.

In his view, Canada possesses both globally leading technological capabilities and urgent automation needs in these areas. Workforce shortages, retirement waves, and the need for new factories are driving automation from a "future option" to a "competitive necessity."

Regarding the widely debated employment issue, Gariepy responded: Many North American factories sit idle or are never built due to a lack of labor, and millions of manufacturing jobs remain vacant because of retirements. "Workers don't need longer hours; they need better tools. Robots are those tools."

Significance for Canada: A Critical Turning Point from Research Power to Deployment PowerGariepy specifically noted that the Canadian government has just listed robotics as one of the five priority areas in its updated national AI strategy. He believes this sends a strong signal to investors and industry.

Currently, Canada's strength lies in robotics research—with world-class universities and startups—but the weakness is the speed of translating research into large-scale industrial deployment. Gariepy believes that if Canada wants to become a global leader in robotics deployment, the next five years require coordinated action from government, investors, and industry: clear policy signals, increased funding for pilot deployments, cultivation of integration talent, and establishment of industry reference cases.

He particularly emphasized that robotics technology is mature enough and should no longer remain in the lab. Clearpath's experience proves that understanding the practical constraints of real production environments is more important than pursuing technical showmanship. After being acquired by Rockwell Automation, he became even more convinced that large-scale deployment requires solid engineering implementation rather than a simplistic "AI fixes everything" narrative.*Editor's note: This article is based on an interview with Ryan Gariepy by Robotics & Automation News. Ryan Gariepy is a co-founder of Clearpath Robotics, which was acquired by Rockwell Automation in 2023.*