AILOS Robotics has raised €3.5 million to industrialize a new class of robotic gearboxes that combine the agility of quasi-direct drives with a far higher torque density.
This breakthrough enables robots that are lighter, safer, more affordable, and more energy-efficient, says the company.
The seed round is led by QBIC and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), with participation from Wallonie Entreprendre and finance&invest.brussels, reinforcing Europe’s commitment to developing local, strategic component supply for the rapidly growing humanoid and collaborative robotics markets.
“Modern robots demand a new category of actuation,” said Pablo López García, CEO and co-founder of AILOS Robotics. “We combine quasi-direct drive-like backdrivability with the high torque density of advanced gearing, finally removing one of the main barriers to agile, lightweight, and safe robots that can operate alongside humans.”
AILOS is a spin-off from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and its BruBotics research powerhouse. After a decade of research supported by VLAIO (Flanders) and Innoviris (Brussels), the company has built and validated its Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – the R2poweR gearbox.
Designed for humanoids, cobots, exoskeletons, and prosthetic devices, the R2poweR architecture:
- Enables smooth human-friendly interaction (low backdrive torque)
- Provides extreme torque density for highly loaded joints
- Reduces robot weight, energy demand, and noise
- Supports low-cost industrialization and future scalability
- Is ideally suited for high-volume robotics manufacturing
AILOS is now moving from lab to factory, and actively engaging:
- Robot manufacturers – seeking first pilot projects
- Industrial partners – for joint manufacturing and supply chain scale-up
- Investors – supporting EU leadership in strategic automation technologies
“AILOS addresses one of the biggest bottlenecks in humanoid and collaborative robotics,” said Cédric Van Nevel, partner at QBIC. “Europe needs strong hardware manufacturers, and this team has the technology, IP position, and industrial vision to deliver. We are happy to support the founding team in bringing years of academic research to the market.”
Anne Umbach, investment manager at HTGF, said: “AILOS has the potential to become a new European tech champion – despite the challenge of entering the market as a component supplier within an established value chain.
“Their hardware-level innovation unlocks a unique combination of mechanical parameters, addressing key challenges faced by robot manufacturers in the future markets of cobots and humanoid systems. We’re investing in strong IP and a diverse, ambitious team with a clear technological vision.”
