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Local Yinnar inventors flying high with ground-breaking robotics innovations
On the surface, Outlook Industries might seem like a bunch of country people tinkering on tools from the farm. Look a little closer, and you’ll find they’re creating some of Australia’s most innovative robots for the Australian army!
Luke Townsend sat down near a rustic brown couch in a warehouse on the main street of Yinnar. A country boy at heart, it’s hard to believe that this family man has travelled to off-beaten countries around the world as an Australian army veteran.
Since then, the last few years, Luke has built Outlook Industries from the ground up. Because Luke and his pals at Outlook Industries, are in fact a diverse bunch of brilliant inventors.
Why not drive past the main street of Yinnar and say hi? Luke’s wife Roxanne Townsend, a formidable woman in her own right, will most likely serve you coffee and have a yarn about this small-town team.
Think Back to the Future but Yinnar, we say. And not everything is all it seems. Over the past few years, the inventors created a brand new on-ground surveillance system for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) called GUS, which stands for Ground Unmanned System.
Look it up because the story hit regional news networks everywhere. What’s happened since then? Luke said, many exciting things.
“Towards the end of last year, there was a bit of a gap between GUS and getting another contract,” Luke said. “You got to pay the guys and girls at the end of the day.”
Good news though! “We had some American investors show interest — spent a week with us — had a look at what we are doing now, hung out in Yinnar and decided to invest,” Luke said.
“They went home [to America] spoke to their investor friends and bought a share in our company, ” Luke gushed. “This has been transformative because now we don’t need to wait for milestone payments to do anything.”
And these investors are big shots too. “My American pal helped me a lot with my anti-poaching work in Africa,” Luke said. Him and his friends — who have been investing and developing in space companies — wanted to be part of our on-ground robotics work here in Yinnar,” Luke said.
Luke commended Council and current Mayor Councillor Darren Howe for the support shown.
“Particularly the Business Development team and particularly the current Mayor has been amazing,” Luke said. “Darren Howe comes and visits anytime we need anything, he supports us.”
And so, another happy story for this group of terrific inventors in Yinnar. On a finishing note, Luke reaffirms country values and teamwork.
“My brothers and I all ended up as problem solvers in our own way. A lot of this has come from growing up isolated on a farm and only having a set number of tools available,” Luke said.
“We’ve had many work experience kids and country kids come through these doors. Particularly coming from a farming background, they will work hard to innovate and solve problems in general!”
Read the June 2024 Connections magazine here.
