RASS

What RASS does

RASS (Remote Automation Sensors Surveys), operating commercially as Rass Technical, is a Canadian founder-operated technology company incorporated on December 3, 2018, by Kevin Barbour — a geophysicist with a B.Sc in Physics and Geology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and prior experience in the Canadian Navy and upstream oil & gas contracting. The business operates across two domains: niche consumer hardware product development and offshore geotechnical/geophysical survey services. Its product portfolio comprises three distinct items — the Sentinel 64 hybrid FPV drone frame kit (configurable as quadcopter or hexcopter, with high-grade carbon fiber sourced from China and UK assembly, limited to 24 kits); the Gold Cup Dice tabletop board game (first injection-molded run of 4,000 units, sold via a dedicated goldcup.games storefront); and the Percolation Pod digital geotechnical sensor (microcontroller-based, designed for borehole percolation testing, with a patent filing initiated in 2024). Service offerings include offshore geotechnical site investigations (CPT, sampling, seismic methods), UXO detection surveys for offshore construction, and Delta Matrix bathymetry analysis for volume calculations.

The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-buyer via company-owned websites and email outreach ([email protected]), with payment via PayPal or Bitcoin. Pricing is region-segmented for the drone line (UK £59, USA $79, EU €69, plus shipping). Marketing is content-led through a technical blog covering geotechnical surveying, UXO detection, and offshore investigations, which doubles as topical authority for the geotechnical services side. Customer segments span FPV drone hobbyists, geotechnical and engineering professionals, and tabletop gaming enthusiasts — a deliberately horizontal segmentation with no dominant vertical. The business is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-owned with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and a stated headcount of 2-3.

Name

RASS

Legal name

Remote Automation Sensors Surveys

Website

https://rasstech.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RASS (Remote Automation Sensors Surveys) is a Canadian founder-operated technology company that designs and sells niche hardware products — including an FPV drone frame, a board game, and digital geotechnical sensors — alongside offshore geotechnical survey and UXO detection services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Hardware Products

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Energy MRV (Facilities, Renewables, Methane, Process Emissions) (EUABACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF)

Keywords

• Custom drone frames
• FPV freestyle drones
• Geotechnical sensors
• Offshore site investigations
• Small-batch hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Canada

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Drone Kits: Direct sales of Sentinel 64 drone frame kits. Limited production runs with premium carbon fiber materials. Prices vary by region (UK, USA, EU). Payment via PayPal or BTC.
2. Board Game Sales: Gold Cup Dice board game - first 4000 plastic injection molded units produced. Sold via www.goldcup.games website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

RASS designs, manufactures, and sells small-batch custom hardware products directly to consumers, including the Sentinel 64 hybrid FPV drone frame kit (configurable as quadcopter or hexcopter, made with high-grade carbon fiber), the Gold Cup Dice board game (4,000-unit injection-molded production run), and the Percolation Pod digital geotechnical sensor for borehole percolation testing. The company also produces technical blog content documenting its expertise in offshore geotechnical site investigations, UXO detection, and bathymetry survey methods.

Product overview

RASS (Remote Automation Sensors Surveys) is a technology company that operates across two primary domains: geotechnical/geophysical survey services and custom technology product development. The service offerings include offshore geotechnical site investigations (sampling, CPT testing, seismic methods), UXO detection surveys, and bathymetry analysis. The product portfolio includes the Sentinel 64 hybrid drone frame (Quad/Hexcopter FPV drone kit), Gold Cup Dice board game, and the Percolation Pod digital geotechnical sensor. RASS designs and manufactures products in-house, with manufacturing in the UK and China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sentinel 64: Custom designed First Person Viewer (FPV) drone that can be built as either a Quadcopter or Hexcopter orientation. Hybrid hex/quad freestyle drone frame kit assembled in the UK with high grade carbon fiber.
• Gold Cup Dice

Products and services

• Sentinel 64 Hybrid Drone Frame A custom-designed First Person Viewer (FPV) drone frame kit configurable as either a Quadcopter or Hexcopter orientation for five-inch propellers. Assembled in the UK using high-grade carbon fiber manufactured in China. The hex frame can be converted to a quad frame with two additional Universal Arms. Sold as a limited small-batch kit targeted at FPV drone hobbyists.
• Gold Cup Dice A modern tabletop board game designed and manufactured by RASS featuring innovative gameplay mechanics. First production run of 4,000 plastic injection-molded units was completed. Sold via the dedicated goldcup.games website, targeting modern tabletop gaming enthusiasts.
• Percolation Pod A digital geotechnical sensor designed for percolation and infiltration testing that measures the rate at which water or fluid flows into the ground of a measured borehole or auger hole. Built from scratch by RASS with a microcontroller, hardwired digital sensor, and custom PVC housing. Attaches to a standard measuring tape and is powered by a cell phone charging bank via Type C cable. Targeted at geotechnical engineers, geologists, and field technicians.

Quantifiable outcome

• First successful maiden flight of Sentinel 64 by independent operator
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gardline: UK-based offshore survey firm offering geotechnical, geophysical, and UXO services. Closest comparable to RASS's stated service portfolio, with similar British/European operational heritage.
• MMT: Swedish marine surveying company specializing in offshore geophysical and geotechnical investigations. Comparable service offerings to RASS's offshore site investigation work, particularly sub-bottom imaging and bathymetry.
• RST Instruments: Canadian geotechnical and structural monitoring instrument manufacturer offering digital sensors for field investigations. Comparable to RASS's Percolation Pod in target use cases (geotechnical field testing) and partly overlapping geographic market.
• GEOKON: Leading manufacturer of geotechnical and structural monitoring instruments including load cells, piezometers, and inclinometers. Most directly comparable to RASS's Percolation Pod digital sensor product line in geotechnical instrumentation.
• iFlight: Major FPV drone frame and full-stack drone manufacturer serving the hobbyist and freestyle drone market. Closest direct competitor to RASS's Sentinel 64 drone frame kit, with overlapping customer base and product category.
• Armattan Productions: Premium FPV drone frame manufacturer known for carbon fiber freestyle frames. Directly comparable to RASS Sentinel 64 in materials, target customer (FPV hobbyists), and product positioning.

Emerging players

• Lumenier: FPV drone component and frame manufacturer offering carbon fiber frames and electronics. Comparable to RASS in the drone frame retail segment with overlapping hobbyist customer base.
• Geomotion: Geotechnical instrumentation specialist offering digital sensors, data loggers, and monitoring systems for site investigations. Comparable to RASS in the niche of bespoke digital geotechnical sensor design and supply.

Broad incumbents

• Saipem: Italian offshore engineering and drilling contractor that performs geotechnical surveys as part of larger EPCI projects. Comparable to RASS in the offshore site investigation domain but operates at much larger scale with extensive fleet.
• Fugro: Dutch global leader in offshore geotechnical site investigation, seabed CPT, and UXO surveys. Directly comparable to RASS's offshore service offerings, though at vastly larger scale and with dedicated vessels and crews.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rasstechnicalltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RASS