TDK Corporation, the old Japanese multinational electronics giant, says its subsidiary TDK Ventures has invested in ANYbotics, a Switzerland-based global leader in industrial inspection robotics.
TDK says it is “passionate about pushing the limits of what robots can do”, and how they can transform the way industrial facilities are operated. Their robots combine best-in-class hardware, AI, and software developments to generate reliable and speedy customer return on investment.
ANYbotics has earned the trust of hundreds of industry-leading companies worldwide, and collaborates with a notable network of tech and reseller partners. As a testament to this progress, ANYbotics has raised an additional $60 million, bringing its total funding to $130 million.
This round, led by top European and Silicon Valley investors with participation from TDK Ventures and other existing investors, will accelerate ANYbotics’ global scaling plans and its recent US expansion.
ANYbotics is led by a highly skilled technical team, including co-founder and CEO Dr Péter Fankhauser. The team’s work began 15 years ago at ETH Zurich, a leading technical university, and has since driven significant advances in legged robotics and AI. The company holds several patents for specialized robot system designs for industrial applications.
Andrea Corda, chief technology officer, recently joined the team to lead the development of the next-generation AI-driven robot architecture, and has over 20 years of experience in complex mechatronic systems and scaling at companies such as Electrolux, where he led a team of more than 600 people.
The company’s advisory board supports ANYbotics with long-term commercial scale-up leadership experience and world-class AI expertise.
The company is actively deploying ANYmal, a robot that possesses super-human senses and is a robust, autonomous, agile inspection solution ready-to-go with high-quality sensors onboard. The ANYbotics platform automates routine inspection, leading to increased uptime and improved preventive maintenance through asset health monitoring.
Approximately 200 ANYmal robots are deployed and realizing value in industrial facilities for customers like BP, Equinor, Novelis, Outokumpu, and Equans, while partners like AWS, SAP, Siemens Energy, and SLB support ANYbotics’ global reach.
Among its many duties, ANYmal can monitor assets in operation, identify thermal anomalies, detect gas presence, and create and update 3D models to give industrial facility operators new “superpowers” in complete safety.
ANYmal is the only quadruped robot that was built from the ground up specifically for industrial inspections in harsh industrial environments, is IP 67 rated (100 percent water and ingress protected), and incorporates the latest improvements in AI as well as insights from major customers.
Nicolas Sauvage, president, TDK Ventures, says: “ANYbotics’ quadruped robot, ANYmal, is the competitive choice for customers that care about reliability and turnkey deployment.
“They have built a complete solution. Other robots for heavy-industry inspection automation provide interesting technology, but ANYbotics offers an out-of-the-box product.
“We are thrilled about the numerous synergy possibilities between ANYbotics and TDK companies, as well as potential cross-synergies with some of our other portfolio companies in the industrial and energy sectors.”
Fankhauser says: “At ANYbotics, we believe in teaming up humans with autonomous robots, where the robot is the coworker to take over repetitive and dangerous tasks.
“We strive to empower businesses with cutting-edge robotics technology, leading to a future where robots and humans can collaborate seamlessly to achieve greater outcomes. We are grateful for TDK Ventures’ support and for the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits provided through its TDK Goodness.”
TDK Ventures is committed to finding and impact scaling technologies on the frontiers of innovation whose contributions have the potential to build a better, brighter future for all of humanity. ANYbotics matches its “King of the Hill” thesis closely, with exceptional product market-fit strength.
The company’s world-class AI and robotics team has executed beautifully on a best-in-class technology stack and is now pursuing global commercialization to unlock safety and efficiency benefits for industrial customers everywhere. TDK Ventures is excited to be a part of their journey.
