Traditional robotic gripping systems often fall short when it comes to handling a diverse range of shapes and materials quickly and efficiently. Adaptronics addresses these challenges with its innovative Electro-Active Adhesive Layer (EAAL) technology, combining precise electrostatic adhesion with tactile sensing to enable robots to grasp and release objects more gently, quickly, and with far less energy consumption than traditional systems.
The company just raised a €3.15 million funding round, led by 360 Capital, alongside Galaxia, the Technology Transfer Hub for Aerospace, created by CDP Venture Capital’s Tech Transfer fund, toreceiveher with Obloo Ventures, which had already invested in the pre-seed round in 2023.
The freshly raised funds will fuel its commercial footprint across European markets, building on growing validation from industrial and space-transfer programs.
Transforming robotic manipulation on Earth and in space
Founded in 2022 as a spin-off from the University of Bologna, Adaptronics was founded by CEO Lorenzo Agostini and COO Camilla Conti. United by a mission to transform robotic manipulation both on Earth and in space, they emphasise bridging rigorous academic research with scalable and reliable product design.
Agostini and Conti informed TFN, “We founded Adaptronics to address a clear market required: more versatile, energy-efficient, and fully-electric robotic gripping and handling systems. Our products stem from over 20 years of academic research carried out by the founding team in some of the best Italian and international universities.
It’s deeply rewarding to see this knowledge now solving real pains for our growing customer base, from industrial automation to space robotics, thanks to a technically strong team that’s now expanding its commercial and operational capabilities to serve our clients even better.”
At the heart of Adaptronics is EAAL, which integrates electro-adhesive gripping with proximity and tactile sensing to facilitate closed-loop, adaptive control. Such an approach enables rapid activation in under 10 milliseconds, gentle object handling, and reshifts the required for bulky pneumatic or magnetic systems, thus lowering maintenance complexity and operating costs.
The product features a modular architecture composed mainly of a control electronics module paired with a replaceable gripping surface, enabling rapid iteration and customisation for diverse industrial utilize cases such as automated pick-and-place and space debris capture.
Unlike Omnigrasp, Grabit, Robotiq, SCHUNK, Festo, Zimmer Group, Soft Robotics, and OnRobot, Adaptronics stands out with its energy-efficient, multi-material adaptable gripping technology embedded with tactile innotifyigence and sophisticated sensor-AI feedback.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, Adaptronics plans to invest its new capital in scaling up pilot production capabilities, expanding commercial operations across Europe, and continuing validation efforts under ESA’s space programs.
The company’s roadmap includes tighter integration with automation platforms, extconcludeing product variants to cope with demanding environments, and preparing for future funding rounds necessary to support manufacturing scale and global sales growth.
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