Voliro

Overview

Summary

Voliro is a Swiss company that specializes in contact-based inspection and maintenance solutions using drones and robots. The company has developed a flying robot called Voliro T, which can tilt and rotate in any direction, allowing it to interact with structures and surfaces at any angle. The robot can be equipped with various sensors and tools for non-destructive testing (NDT), lightning protection system (LPS) testing, coating thickness measurement and more. 

Voliro was founded in 2019 by a team of engineers from ETH Zurich, who won several awards and recognition for their innovative technology. Voliro aims to create a safer, more efficient and more sustainable air travel industry by providing high-quality, cost-effective and time-efficient robotic inspection and maintenance solutions.

Industry

Voliro falls under the Hardware & Manufacturing category, as it provides various services using drones and robots for inspection and maintenance purposes. The company’s services include wall thickness measurement, coating thickness measurement, LPS testing, corrosion detection and more.

Country of Origin

Voliro was founded in 2019 in Switzerland. The company’s headquarters are located in Zurich.

Country of Operations

Voliro is based in Zurich, Switzerland and operates mainly in Europe and North America. It provides inspection services for various industries such as oil and gas, mining, energy, and infrastructure. It also sells its drones and payloads to other service providers and end-users.

Age

Voliro has been in operation since 2019, which means it is 4 years old as of 2023.

Size

Voliro has 11-50 employees. According to their LinkedIn page, they have 30 employees at the time of writing this article. See more detailed information below.

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In the last couple of years, the company has not grown its internal workforce very much. As their product has demonstrated market value, we can only interpret these stats to mean that they are either partnering or outsourcing significantly. Alternatively, they could be reducing their overheads while they refined their designed.

The latter is likely true, considering the size of the investments made in the company, it would be important to build a functioning MVP prior to expanding. We suspect that they are ready to start growing very soon, as their design seems to be finalised and we are starting to see an increased push in the marketing,

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Founders of Voliro

Co-founders, Mina Kamel and Timo Müller invented the Voliro technology. Anurag Vempati, Marius Fehr, and Thomas Schneider completed the founding team by bringing in the skills to make robots fully autonomous with years of experience.

Mina Kamel is the co-founder and ex CEO of Voliro, a producer of robotic drones for inspection and light maintenance at height. He obtained his Bachelors in Automation Engineering Technology from the Politecnico di Milano before moving to Zurich to obtain his Masters and eventually his PhD in Mechatronic, Robotics and Automation Engineering from ETH Zürich

Timo Müller is a co-founder of Voliro Airborne Robotics, a company that develops advanced aerial robots for work at height. He has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from ETH Zurich and was a professional skicross athlete for Swiss-Ski. He is passionate about aviation, high tech and outdoor sports.
His LinkedIn Profile

Marius Fehr is a co-founder and CEO of Voliro Airborne Robotics. He has a master’s degree in robotics, systems and control from ETH Zurich and was a research assistant at the Autonomous Systems Lab. He is interested in robotics, computer vision and machine learning.
His LinkedIn Profile

Anurag Sai Vempati is a co-founder and CTO of Voliro Airborne Robotics. He has a master’s degree in robotics, systems and control from ETH Zurich and was a research assistant at the Autonomous Systems Lab. He is skilled in robotics, software development and embedded systems.
His LinkedIn Profile

Thomas Schneider is a co-founder and CFO of Voliro Airborne Robotics. He has a master’s degree in management, technology and economics from ETH Zurich and was a business analyst at McKinsey & Company. He is experienced in strategy, finance and operations.
His LinkedIn Profile

Fabian Gutzwiller is the CEO of Voliro Airborne Robotics. He has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from ETH Zurich and was a research assistant at the Autonomous Systems Lab. He is passionate about entrepreneurship, innovation and robotics.
His LinkedIn Profile

Competitive Edge

Voliro’s competitive edge lies in its unique 360° drone design that allows inspection of curved and sloped surfaces, as well as interaction with objects physically. Voliro’s drones can be equipped with a variety of payloads, such as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) or Lightning Protection System (LPS) sensors, to solve different challenges in the industrial automation and aerospace sectors. Voliro’s drones also have advanced autonomy and thrust-vectoring capabilities that enable them to fly stably and reliably in close proximity to structures, even in GPS-denied environments.

Aircraft

Voliro’s main product is the Voliro T drone, a multi-purpose robotic flight platform that can perform contact-based work at height. The drone has a unique design that allows it to tilt its rotors 90 degrees in any direction, enabling it to interact with structures from any angle. The drone also has advanced autonomy features such as semi-autonomous flight modes, obstacle avoidance, and pilot assistance. 

Technology

• Thrust-vectoring and 6DoF control that gives the drone stability and agility for reliable interaction in demanding conditions.

• Advanced autonomy and pilot assistance that enables semi-autonomous flight modes and safe operation in GPS-denied environments close to structures.

• Open interfaces and modular payload system that allows for seamless integration and customization of various sensors and tools.

Growth

Based on the number of products, projects, awards, and media coverage, it seems that the company has a high level of recognition and demand in the market.

Voliro was the first-place winner of the SPRINT Robotics Award for New Innovative Technology in Inspection, Maintenance or Cleaning (2020).

Funding

CHF – Swiss Franc Currency
Source: Crunchbase

Social Stats (Social Media Numbers)

Instagram – 730 Followers

LinkedIn – 9650 Followers

YouTube – 700 Followers

But wait, there’s more!

Voliro is only one of the up and coming players in this evolving industry. Click here to check out our full list of companies leading the way!