Prepare your smart mobility and smart agriculture solutions for market entry and scaling

Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab

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Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab

The Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab powered by Area X.O is designed to test and validate related solutions for Canadian startups and scaleups across Canada.

Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Area X.O spans over 1,600 acres with diverse testing environments including urban streetscapes, rural roads, and specialized test tracks. The facility provides a controlled yet realistic environment where companies can safely test connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, smart mobility solutions, and transportation innovations.

Beyond autonomous vehicles, Area X.O has expanded to encompass smart agriculture applications, serving as an ideal testbed for precision agriculture equipment and agricultural IoT solutions. Through partnerships with government, academia, and industry, Area X.O supports Canadian innovation in both mobility and agricultural technology sectors.

Testing Infrastructure and Offerings

The Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab powered by Area X.O provides advanced network infrastructure for testing emerging technologies featuring advanced 5G and LTE networks, IoT communications systems, and precision RTK GPS for centimetre-level accuracy. With diverse Class C and G airspace, indoor flight facilities, and netted safety zones, this living lab offers secure environments to test and validate your smart agriculture or smart mobility solution.

Test your innovations across 120 acres of active agricultural fields growing numerous crops.The smart mobility testing infrastructure includes private road networks with multi-way intersections, rail crossings, and bike lanes monitored by sophisticated sensors, including PTZ cameras, thermal imaging, lidar, and radar systems for comprehensive data collection.

The lab also provides equipment rentals, offering cutting-edge robots, drones, and specialized sensors to ensure you have the right resources to test and validate your innovation.

DARTT Zone: Advanced Outdoor Testing Environment

Canada’s first NIST-compliant drone and robotics testing facility for real-world validation.

The Drone and Advanced Robotics Testing and Training (DARTT) Zone integrates the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) criteria into facility design and operations.

What Makes Area X.O’s DARTT Zone Unique

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NIST-Compliant Testing Environment

  • Varied terrain, including gravel, sand, water features, ramps, and sidewalks
  • Challenging mixed-surface conditions for comprehensive ground robot evaluation
  • Weather testing capabilities across different environmental conditions

Specialized Testing Capabilities

  • Autonomous detect-and-avoid (DAA) technology validation
  • Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) testing
  • Precision piloting and gimbal skill development

Safety First Design

 

  • Netted enclosure for controlled drone failure scenario testing
  • Private R&D facility ensuring secure, confidential testing
  • NIST training course for skill enhancement

 

*All project submissions are welcome. Please let us know how your company can leverage the Living Lab.

Potential Project Types at the Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab

The Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab powered by Area X.O is where smart mobility and precision agriculture innovations come to life, empowering Canadian developers to validate cutting-edge technologies reshaping innovation.

Area X.O provides the real-world environments your breakthrough solutions need to prove their worth, from autonomous drones navigating complex urban traffic scenarios to precision robots optimizing crop yields.

Smart Mobility That Moves Canada Forward

Test your drone-assisted traffic surveillance systems in realistic urban environments, validate beyond visual line of sight operations with advanced detect-and-avoid capabilities, and perfect multi-modal delivery networks that seamlessly integrate air and ground logistics.

Whether you’re developing emergency response coordination systems or autonomous delivery solutions for smart cities, Area X.O provides the controlled yet authentic testing scenarios that ensure your technology performs flawlessly when depended on.

Precision Agriculture That Feeds the Future

At Area X.O, validate your agtech solutions against real soil conditions, test autonomous harvesting robots across diverse crop varieties, and perfect pest detection algorithms that protect yields without compromising sustainability.

From crop health monitoring drones that identify disease outbreaks early to fully integrated farm management platforms that respond to real-time field conditions, Area X.O helps you demonstrate measurable value.

Explore the Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab’s Potential Project Types

  • Drone Assisted Traffic Surveillance
  • Autonomous Drone Testing for Smart Cities
  • Delivery and Cargo Drop Systems
  • Ground Vehicles for Public Safety and Emergency Response
  • Warehousing and Logistics Automation
  • Field Mapping and Infrastructure Assessment
  • Multi-Platform Data Integration
  • Autonomous Planting and Seeding Systems
  • Autonomous Navigation & “Beyond Visual Line of Sight” (BVLOS) Testing
  • Swarming & Multi-Drone Coordination
  • Mining and Industrial Inspection
  • Crop/Forest Health Monitoring & Disease Detection
  • Weed Management and Precision Cultivation
  • Pest Detection and Targeted Treatment
  • Autonomous Harvesting Operations
  • Robotic System Monitoring and Coordination
  • Autonomous Delivery Robot Navigation
  • Precision Irrigation Management
  • Yield Prediction and Harvest Planning
  • Data Integration and Farm Management

*All project submissions are welcome. Please let us know how your company can leverage the Living Lab.

Submit Your Project Proposal

Complete Technology Development Services

Prepare your innovation for market success with our comprehensive end-to-end list of AI and technology services, designed to support your innovation’s journey from concept to deployment.

Complete AI Development Stack

From data preparation and model development to user interface design and regulatory compliance, you’ll get access to integrated services across all layers of AI development. This comprehensive approach ensures AI solutions are not only technically robust but also user-friendly, compliant, and market ready.

Specialized Testing & Hardware Solutions

Access cutting-edge testing facilities for robotics, IoT, and communication systems, plus flexible hardware-as-a-service options. Specialized testing services ensure your innovation performs flawlessly in real-world conditions, while rental programs provide cost-effective access to high-performance computing resources.

IP Protection and Certification Support

Navigate the complex landscape of intellectual property and AI governance with confidence. From patent filings to the ISO 42001 AI governance certification, these services help protect your innovations and ensure compliance with industry standards.

* All project submissions are welcome. Please let us know how your company can leverage the Living Lab.


Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab Advisory Services

Area X.O provides testing advisory to ensure your project’s success. Get support from strategic planning to data analysis, delivering the expertise you need at every stage.

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Test Planning & Development

Strategic test plan creation and review tailored to your project requirements.

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Equipment & Operations Setup

Hands-on equipment integration, machinery operation, and certified drone piloting services.

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Regulatory Support

Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) applications and compliance guidance from drone operations and specialized testing.

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Execution & Analytics

Complete test management with detailed reporting and data-driven insights.

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Custom Testing Support

Tailored scenarios and specialized advisory services for unique project needs.


*All project submissions are welcome. Please let us know how your company can leverage the Living Lab.

Call For Proposals

Explore Available Project Funding and Proposals

Get the Funding You Need for Your Project

CENGN’s Living Lab initiative provides access to funding through two streams:

Innovation Projects

Startups and scaleups test and validate their solutions for market entry and commercial growth.

Up to $250,000 in funding available.

Adoption Projects

Startups and scaleups partner with a prospective customer to validate their innovative solutions for the customer’s specific requirements.

Up to $500,000 in funding available.

Learn More about CENGN’s Living Lab Initiative

Take on a Specialized CENGN Intern

Need Extra Support for Your Project?

Accelerate your project by accessing specialized talent through the CENGN Living Lab Internship Program.

Whether you need support before, during, or after your organization’s living lab project, CENGN’s internship program connects you with the critical technology and/or business skills to stay competitive.

Need help? CENGN can direct you to suitable funding agencies that can subsidize your internship costs. CENGN can also support you, from paperwork to student matching.

Learn More about Living Lab Internships

Does your company qualify for a CENGN Project?

 

✅ Less than $50M in revenue

✅ Based in Canada, with fewer than 500 employees

✅ Technology level must be TRL 4 and above

About the Living Lab Initiative and CENGN

Currently supported by the Canadian Government’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN) helps startups and scaleups bring their solutions to market. CENGN provides the resources and technical expertise to test and validate their innovative solutions while developing tech talent through its internship programs.

Since 2014, CENGN’s programs have created nearly 12,000 Canadian jobs, contributed $1.15 billion to Canada’s GDP, supported over 300 internships with a 97% employment rate, and completed over 230 commercialization projects to build Canada’s position and expertise in the global technology landscape.

Learn More About the Program

About the Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab

Learn more

Contact

Do you have a question about the Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab or the CENGN Living Lab Initiative?

With a passion for industry development, Lisa Klimstra is the Senior Manager of Business Development for CENGN. She’s responsible for leading all aspects of the Business Development function and is an advocate for CENGN’s Living Lab initiative, which provides the services, expertise, and infrastructure required to test and validate network technology solutions.

For questions about partnership opportunities or program applications, please contact Lisa at [email protected].

Smart Mobility and Smart Agriculture Living Lab

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Prepare your smart mobility and smart agriculture solutions for market entry and scaling.