World Intellectual Property Day (26th April) is an annual event commending the inventors and creators that drive innovation and shape our modern world. In honour of this year’s theme, “Women and IP,” we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate female innovators that Forresters have worked with over the years, supporting them as they transformed incredible ideas into innovative brands and businesses.
One of the female innovators we’re putting the spotlight on is Alison Morris, Test Engineering Manager and IP Manager at Animal Dynamics. Animal Dynamics develop exciting autonomous vehicle solutions inspired by the natural world, from an unmanned aircraft system inspired by the flying ability of dragonflies, to a fully autonomous underwater system using a flapping propulsion technique similar to the gliding motion of manta rays.
The exciting work Animal Dynamics is doing is certainly turning heads- their Stork STM Parafoil UAV system was recently selected to participate in the next phase of the Royal Navy’s Uncrewed Aerial Systems Heavy Lift Challenge. We caught up with Alison, who gave us an insight into her work with Animal Dynamics and her career as a female innovator.
Tell us a little bit about Animal Dynamics.
Animal Dynamics is a technology company based in Oxford, UK, specializing in the design and manufacture of autonomous solutions – using a first principles engineering approach – that can replace the need for humans in dirty, dull and dangerous operations, including aerial resupply. Animal Dynamics was first co-founded in 2015 as an R&D company but has since transitioned to focus on its family of autonomous aerial STORK vehicles. The priority stands with the commercial rollout of STORK STM, an autonomous heavy-lift parafoil winged drone designed for delivering logistics and resupply within harsh environments.
What does the work you do with Animal Dynamics mean to you?
I am extremely proud of the work I do at AD and every day is unique. I hold a dual role of Testing Engineering Manager and IP Manager whereby the two roles complement each other. As Test Engineering Manager, I am well placed within the company to have exposure to technology developments and as IP Manager, I am empowered to act upon aspects that would benefit from IP protection. Every working day is challenging but the fast-paced nature of Animal Dynamics keeps me on my toes, with the variety and complexity of the work ensuring that I enjoy and thrive at what I do.
I lead a team of empowered, hardworking, highly skilled Test Engineers who regularly deliver against company objectives whilst in parallel, I implement and maintain the company IP (including the company IP strategy, IP processes, maintaining and expanding ADs registered IP portfolio). Although, I thoroughly enjoy the challenging and dynamic aspect of my work, each day is uplifted further by the amazing people who work at AD.
What made you consider IP protection?
Animal Dynamics is a young and developing company disrupting the technology associated with assured unmanned aerial delivery. As such it is important to protect the technologies that give us a competitive advantage compared to other companies. Developing and manufacturing hardware, gives rise to products being reverse-engineered and potentially exploited by competitors, hence why AD protects its hardware where possible in the form of IP protection. IP is at the heart of any innovative company and as such it is necessary to protect IP where suitable.
What is it like to be a woman in your industry?
Within the World of Engineering and Technology, women are in the minority and this makes life more challenging as every day is going against the norm. However, having worked at multiple male-dominated companies throughout my career, I have been impressed with Animal Dynamics’ approach. AD is an incredibly unique company when it comes to flexibility and I have had 100% support for my career progression from the day I started. When I joined the company, I started as a Test Engineer and have quickly progressed through the company to the position of Test Engineering Manager and IP Manager. This has been possible through the constant support and proactive encouragement to develop and progress from other people throughout AD.
Being a Woman in the World of IP does not have the same challenges as being a woman in Engineering. As IP Manager, I have created an excellent IP support network internal and external to AD ensuring that the AD IP strategy dovetails appropriately with the business strategy. This network includes a close working relationship with Forresters, which is not bound or defined by gender but quite simply supportive.
What advice would you give to other female innovators early in their careers?
Make sure that you enjoy what you do and don’t settle. Lift your head occasionally to see what else is happening around you and what other opportunities are out there. You spend so much of your time at work, make sure that you enjoy it and have the support you need to excel. If you enjoy innovating but not the company you work with, then take a look around. There are amazing companies out there that are 100% supportive toward female innovators.
What’s next for Animal Dynamics?
We are steadily continuing our development of STORK STM which will begin in military environments where it will assist in the delivery of supplies to the front line, without putting human life in harm’s way. The vehicles will be flying autonomously and have been specially designed to carry 135kg of payload which equates to the weight needed to resupply an 8-person squad for 2 days. We are also investigating the humanitarian aid market as well as looking into agriculture use cases. The modular design of STORK STM can be adapted to suit differing requirements such as precision crop spraying, and the payload bays can be reconfigured to carry differing supplies.
Lastly, we are also developing our smaller STORK vehicle; ST25 which will be used to carry out LiDAR scanning missions and help to map out forest floors/infrastructure.
Thank you to Alison for taking the time to speak with us about World Intellectual Property Day.
