Gecko Robotics

In late 2022, Gravis Robotics emerged from a decade of research at ETH Zurich's Robotic Systems Lab, founded by a team of roboticists who recognized a critical gap in one of the world's largest yet most stagnant industries: construction. While global demand for infrastructure and building projects was skyrocketing, the sector faced declining productivity, an aging workforce, and severe labor shortages. The founders saw that traditional construction methods were failing to keep pace, and they realized the solution lay in transforming existing heavy machinery into intelligent, autonomous systems rather than replacing the entire fleet. Gravis developed a groundbreaking retrofit autonomy platform that turns ordinary excavators, loaders, and other earthmoving machines into robots through their proprietary Gravis RACK - a rooftop sensor suite combining LiDAR, cameras, GNSS, and learning-based control systems that "feel the soil" through hydraulic data. Paired with Gravis Slate, an intuitive tablet interface, the technology enables seamless switching between autonomous operation and augmented remote control, boosting productivity by up to 30% while dramatically improving site safety. Within just three years, Gravis has deployed its technology across seven countries, partnering with industry giants like Holcim, Taylor Woodrow, and Develon, and securing $23 million in funding to accelerate its global mission of bringing autonomy to the trillion-dollar earthmoving industry.

Rapyuta Robotics, spun out of ETH Zürich in 2014, develops cloud robotics infrastructure for warehouse automation with headquarters in Tokyo and Schaumburg, Chicago. The company operates across multiple technical domains including AI-powered multi-robot control, multi-robot coordination and communication, and autonomous mobile robot systems. Their engineering work centers on the rapyuta.io cloud robotics platform, which serves as the foundational architecture enabling their warehouse automation products to coordinate and operate at scale across global logistics operations. Flagship products include the PA-AMR (Pick-Assist Autonomous Mobile Robots) and ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System), targeting warehouse and logistics operations. These systems deliver documented performance metrics of 2X productivity improvements and 99% picking accuracy in deployed environments. Rapyuta Robotics has secured multiple patents in cloud robotics technologies and received recognition including the Good Design Gold Award in 2024. The technical stack encompasses robotic picking systems, autonomous mobile robot fleets, and automated storage retrieval mechanisms, all orchestrated through their cloud platform. Engineering challenges involve managing multi-robot coordination at the software–hardware boundary, implementing real-time control systems for autonomous mobile platforms, and solving the integration problems inherent in large-scale warehouse automation deployments. Their approach positions cloud infrastructure as the control layer for distributed robotic systems, addressing the computational and coordination requirements of operating robot fleets in dynamic logistics environments where accuracy and uptime directly impact operational throughput.

Nauticus Robotics is revolutionizing the ocean industry with intelligent, sustainable subsea robotics technology. Founded in 2014 by former NASA engineers, the Houston-based company has developed a sophisticated ecosystem of autonomous underwater vehicles and cloud-based software platforms. The company trades on NASDAQ under ticker symbol KITT and serves diverse sectors including offshore energy, aquaculture, defense, and oceanographic research. Their flagship products - Aquanaut, Olympic Arm, and toolKITT - represent a new generation of eco-friendly marine robotics designed to replace traditional vessel-based operations. Targeting the massive $2.5 trillion blue economy, Nauticus Robotics delivers solutions that significantly reduce operational costs, improve safety by eliminating human divers, and dramatically lower carbon footprints. Their autonomous systems operate at depths up to 3 kilometers, performing complex subsea inspections, maintenance, and data collection tasks. The company has established strategic partnerships with major industry players including Shell, Equinor, Leidos, and the Defense Innovation Unit. As offshore wind capacity is projected to reach 235 GW by 2030 and wind becomes the dominant power source by 2050, Nauticus Robotics is positioned as a critical technology provider for the sustainable development of ocean resources.

GIM Robotics develops localisation and situational awareness software for mobile robots and work machines operating in GNSS-denied or GNSS-challenged environments. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Finland, the company focuses on environments such as warehouses, mines, construction sites, and manufacturing facilities where GPS/GNSS signals are unavailable or unreliable. The core technology centers on sensor fusion and real-time 3D environmental modeling to enable accurate navigation and positioning where satellite-based systems cannot function. CEO Jari Saarinen leads a team of 42 people working across design, research, development, and system integration. The company's primary offering is software designed for integration into mobile machinery - autonomous vehicles, robots, and work machines - to improve operational safety, precision, and efficiency. The localisation solution processes data from onboard sensors to construct real-time environmental models and determine position without relying on external infrastructure. This approach addresses a fundamental constraint in indoor and underground robotics: the absence of GNSS coverage that most outdoor autonomous systems depend on. GIM Robotics claims its solutions operate worldwide in demanding operational conditions across intralogistics, mining, construction, warehousing, and manufacturing sectors. The technical focus spans robotics, localisation, situational awareness, sensor fusion, autonomous navigation, and system integration. The 42-person team includes robotics specialists from Finland and other countries. GIM Robotics positions itself as a software supplier rather than a hardware manufacturer, developing solutions that integrate into third-party mobile platforms to add intelligent navigation capabilities in challenging environments.

We started Trexo after watching my nephew, who has cerebral palsy, struggle to find a way to walk. Like many families, we searched everywhere for a solution that would let him experience the simple joy and health benefits of movement - but nothing existed that worked at home. Frustrated by this gap, my friend Rahul and I decided to build it ourselves. Now, after years of iterating alongside children, parents, and physical therapists, our wearable robotic devices are helping kids take steps they never could before, often for the first time in their lives. What we do matters because walking affects everything - from cardiovascular health to core strength to the confidence that comes from being upright. Our devices, Trexo Home for families and Trexo Plus for clinics, are designed to grow with each child and provide the repetitive, precise gait training that builds real capability. We're proud to see hundreds of families across North America using our robots, and we're just getting started. Every improvement we make comes directly from listening to the kids and therapists who use our equipment daily.

We're a team of robotics engineers and researchers building software intelligence that transforms industrial robots into plug-and-play systems for material handling. Born at ETH Zurich's Computational Robotics Lab, we're tackling a real problem: today's robots work great in controlled factory settings, but fall apart in dynamic environments like warehouses and logistics centers. That's why we developed FlinkAI - a system combining vision, reasoning, and control capabilities that lets robots adapt to messy real-world conditions without extensive custom engineering. Our robots can pack, unload, sort, and handle materials right out of the box, with installation taking just minutes rather than months. We believe automation shouldn't require a fleet of engineers or a massive CAPEX budget, which is why we offer our systems as a monthly subscription with rapid ROI. Backed by top VCs and working closely with our research partners, we're making it possible for businesses of all sizes to deploy intelligent automation where it matters most: on the shop floor, handling real work alongside real people.