Zurich-based firm Gravis Robotics, which develops AI-powered autonomous systems for heavy construction machinery, has raised $200 million in a Series A round from SoftBank. The round made the company a unicorn.
- Founded in 2022 by Ryan Luke Johns, Dominic Jud, and Marco Hutter, Gravis Robotics develops autonomous systems for heavy machinery.
- The company retrofits existing excavators and other construction equipment with its Gravis Rack, a hardware and software system that combines sensors, computing, and autonomous-control technology. This allows machines from different manufacturers to perform tasks such as excavation, trenching, loading trucks, and moving materials with limited human intervention.
- Gravis uses AI models trained in simulated environments to help its systems understand and respond to changing terrain, soil conditions, machine behavior, and other variables on construction sites. Its software is designed to work across different equipment brands and models rather than being tied to a single manufacturer.
- The company also offers Gravis Copilot, which provides operators with real-time 3D guidance and hazard detection when they are manually controlling equipment. When full autonomy is enabled, operators can supervise machines remotely and manage multiple autonomous machines.
- According to the company, its technology has been deployed on construction sites across four continents and has achieved productivity improvements of up to 30% compared with manual operation on some projects.
Details of the deal
- The funding will support Gravis Robotics’ global expansion, hiring, and wider commercial deployment of its autonomous construction technology, with the company aiming to retrofit more heavy machinery and bring its systems to construction sites worldwide.
"With SoftBank’s backing, we can hire the best builders and engineers, put Gravis-powered autonomy on every major jobsite, and scale faster than anyone thought possible," explains Ryan Luke Johns, CEO and co-founder of Gravis Robotics.
