Generative AI technology is revolutionizing the development of advanced humanoid robots, sparking a global race to create more intelligent and adaptable machines capable of navigating unknown environments and overcoming various challenges.
Adding to this competitive landscape is mimic, a startup based in Switzerland, which has recently secured a pre-seed funding round of $2.5 million (€2.3 million) to introduce the first collaborative robot powered by GenAI to the market.
Founded in 2024 as a spinoff from ETH Zurich, mimic was established by a team of three researchers specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence.
With the goal of addressing workforce shortages, mimic has engineered a robotic humanoid hand designed to seamlessly integrate into existing manual labor workflows, handling repetitive or physically demanding tasks with ease.
Co-founder Stephan-Daniel Gravert explained, “Most applications don’t require a complete humanoid robot with legs. That’s why we’ve concentrated our efforts on creating a versatile robotic hand that can be paired with off-the-shelf industrial robotic arms for precise positioning.”
By combining humanoid robotics with generative AI, mimic has developed its own foundational AI model to imbue the robotic hand with cognitive abilities and learning capabilities.
This approach allows the robot to observe and replicate human actions, expanding its range of tasks without the need for constant reprogramming, which ultimately reduces costs.
“Mimic’s AI-driven robotic manipulation can effectively tackle the challenges posed by tedious, low to medium volume manual labor tasks that are often overlooked due to their complexity or lack of economic viability,” noted co-founder Stefan Weirich.
Mimic is set to unveil its humanoid robot later this year, targeting industries characterized by repetitive tasks and complex motor skills that are challenging to automate.
Situated within a thriving robotics ecosystem, Switzerland boasts a high robot density in the workforce and is home to leading robotics and automation companies like ABB and Swisslog, positioning mimic to thrive in this innovative landscape.
