pi4

What pi4 does

pi4_robotics GmbH is a Berlin-based industrial automation company founded in 1994 by Matthias Krinke that develops AI-enabled image processing systems, robotics, and handling automation. The company operates two principal product lines. The first is a portfolio of humanoid and mobile service robots under the Workerbot brand — including Workerbot9 variants for care (Care-Home, Care-Hospital, Care-Home PT), concierge, security, waiter, retail, infotainment, baggage, DJ, and research use cases, plus the Workerbot4, Workerbotkiosk, Workerbot3, and PickClothBot — built around 2D/3D computer vision, 95-language speech recognition and generation, face recognition, and autonomous navigation with cloud-based fleet management. The second line covers industrial inspection and parts-feeding systems, including the Efficiency and Efficiency XL electroluminescence (EL) testers for photovoltaic modules with the patented PV-IDent fingerprinting technology for module traceability, the Inspectoid1 optical inspection system for fuel cell bipolar plates, the Robofeeder series for bin picking and high-speed feeding, and the CytoFa laboratory imaging system.

pi4 monetizes through direct hardware sales and a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) rental model operated through its affiliated Robozän/Robocene platform, which the company describes as the first temporary staffing agency for robots and which the company has stated is intended to reach the majority of group revenue. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, distribution partnerships with Panasonic Electric Works, Robotiq, and IAI, marketplace distribution via igus RBTX, and a heavy trade show presence at Hannover Messe, IFA, Automatica, Intersolar, and other major European industry events. Named customers span healthcare (Johanniter), automotive (Mercedes-Benz), retail (Conrad Electronics), hospitality (TUI Cruise Line), the German minting sector (Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt with a 12-plus year relationship), and automotive dealer innovation labs, with partners and customers in more than 30 countries. In July 2024 pi4 opened its 'Kilofactory' in Berlin Wedding with initial capacity of 1,200 service robots per year to support scaling serial production of the Workerbot9 platform. The company is privately held, has not disclosed external funding rounds, and supplements commercial revenue through participation as a core partner in several EU and German government-funded research consortia including Productive4.0 (€106M), Werk 4.0 with Mercedes-Benz (€24.3M), and Electrical Drives (€10.1M).

Name

pi4

Legal name

pi4_robotics GmbH

Website

https://pi4.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

pi4_robotics is a Berlin-based automation firm developing AI-enabled humanoid service robots (Workerbot series), machine vision inspection systems, and bin-picking feeders. It serves enterprise customers across healthcare, automotive, and industrial sectors in 30+ countries via direct sales and Robot-as-a-Service rental.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Robotics

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

akta.pro primary industry

Service & Hospitality Robots (HDAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanoid & General-Purpose Robots (HDAAAIAJ), Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA), Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK), Home Security & Patrol Robots (CRACARAF)

Keywords

• Industrial robotics
• Service robotics
• Machine vision systems
• Factory automation
• Image processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Service Robots: Sale of humanoid service robots (Workerbot series), factory automation robots, and specialized inspection systems
2. Robot as a Service (RaaS): Rental model where robots are offered as temporary workers with full-service contracts through Robozän/Robocene platform. Customer pays only when robot is working. Expected to reach 90% of sales by 2022.
3. Factory Automation Systems: Sale of factory robotics including Workerbot3, Workerbot6p, Workerbot7, Workerbot8, Robofeeder series, THT Placer, Palletizing Robot
4. Inspection Systems: Sale of quality inspection systems including Efficiency EL testers, Inspectoid for fuel cells, CytoFa laboratory systems, PV-IDent traceability solutions
5. Professional Services and Engineering: Consulting, design for automation, feasibility studies, application development, individual robot cells and complete automation solutions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

pi4_robotics GmbH develops and manufactures humanoid service robots, factory automation systems, and AI-based image processing/inspection systems. Their portfolio includes the Workerbot series of service robots for care, concierge, security, retail and hospitality applications, factory automation robots (Workerbot3/6p/7/8), Robofeeder bin-picking systems, and EL/3D optical inspection systems for solar, fuel cell and life-sciences customers. Products are sold directly and offered via a Robot-as-a-Service rental model through the Robozän/Robocene platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workerbot9 Humanoid Service Robot Platform
• Workerbot4 Concierge
• Workerbot3 Dual-Arm Humanoid Robot
• Workerbot6p Logistics Robot
• Workerbot7 CNC Loading Robot
• Workerbot8 Test Robot
• Workerbot17 Intralogistics Series
• Workerbotkiosk
• Robofeeder Bin Picking and Feeding Systems
• Palletizing Robot R3000 / PAL1
• PickClothBot
• IOSY1 Head
• Efficiency / Efficiency XL EL Inspection Systems
• Inspectoid1 Optical Inspection System
• Inseqtor Pest Monitoring System
• CytoFa Laboratory System
• PV-IDent Module Fingerprinting
• Robot as a Service (RaaS) via Robozän/Robocene

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces nursing staff walking distance by up to 3 hours per 8-hour shift
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability21 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Robozän/RobocenecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated company entity operating as the first temporary staffing agency for robots. Offers pi4 robots for rental through RaaS model. Matthias Krinke is Managing Director of both entities. Partnership enables 90% of group sales through rental model as of 2022.
• HIDREXminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner presenting pi4 robotics portfolio at Altenpflegemesse Nuremberg for caregiver support solutions
• RBTX/iguscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkerbot9 service robot now officially available through RBTX marketplace, enabling easy configuration, fixed pricing, and seamless integration into igus and RBTX ecosystems for low-cost robotics
• Panasonic Electric WorksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for robotics solutions
• RobotiqminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for robotics gripper solutions
• IAIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for automation solutions
• Mercedes-BenzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Werk 4.0 research project (24.3M EUR funding) for future production systems. Automotive industry transformation project addressing electrification and digitalization challenges.
• Werner-von-Siemens-Centre for Industry and Science e.V. (WvSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of WvSC e.V. for close cooperation between research, teaching and industry on Siemensstadt 2.0 campus. Three research projects already underway driving change in production technology.
• Productive4.0 ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner106 million EUR European research project - one of the largest in robotics and IoT. 109 partners from industry and research. Focus on Smart Logistic Robot (SLR) for automotive sector.
• EvoFrame ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner2.999 million EUR research project with 14 partners developing evolutionary human-centric framework for change-competent organizations
• KI4MRK ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner0.867 million EUR project for AI-based motion prediction in human-robot collaboration applications with 4 partners
• RoMi ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner1.49 million EUR project (funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research) for qualifying Workerbot4 for care tasks with 5 partners
• MobILe ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner1.98 million EUR project for robot basic skills supporting people with physical limitations including head/eye control and AR interaction
• Electrical Drives Research ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10.1 million EUR project with 16 partners developing competitive electric machines of the future at Rohrdamm 88, Berlin
• PFA StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for DJ Rob robot design and development

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Neura Robotics: German humanoid and cognitive robotics company developing multi-purpose robots for industrial and service applications. Closest geographic and product-category competitor to pi4's Workerbot9 line.
• PAL Robotics: Barcelona-based developer of humanoid and service robots (TIAGo, TALOS) targeting research, healthcare, and industrial applications. Highly comparable to pi4's Workerbot service robot platform in both product category and target verticals.
• SoftBank Robotics: Developer of the Pepper and NAO humanoid service robots for retail, hospitality, and customer engagement. Comparable to pi4's Workerbot9 Concierge and Workerbotkiosk offerings in service-robot product category and target customers.

Emerging players

• Boston Dynamics: US-based humanoid (Atlas) and quadruped (Spot) robotics developer backed by Hyundai. Comparable to pi4's humanoid service robot ambitions but with significantly larger capital base and US geographic footprint.
• Agility Robotics: US-based developer of the Digit humanoid robot for logistics and warehouse applications. Comparable to pi4's Workerbot17 intralogistics and RaaS offerings, with strong venture backing enabling faster scale-up.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Robots: Danish collaborative robot (cobot) leader serving factory automation, machine tending, and assembly tasks. Comparable to pi4's Workerbot factory line in customer base and integration use cases.
• ABB Robotics: Global industrial robotics and automation provider with deep installed base across automotive, electronics, and logistics. Overlaps with pi4's factory robotics and inspection system offerings as a broader portfolio incumbent.
• KUKA: German industrial robotics leader offering articulated robots, cobots, and automated production systems. Directly comparable to pi4's Workerbot3/6p/7/8 factory automation and Robofeeder bin-picking portfolio, but at far larger scale and broader industrial focus.

Others

• igus RBTX: Low-cost robotics marketplace operated by igus, distributing cobots and now pi4's Workerbot9. Channel partner and adjacent ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor, but indicative of comparable low-cost robotics distribution models.
• Robotiq: Canadian manufacturer of robotic grippers and automation components serving cobot and factory automation markets. Listed as a pi4 distribution partner and an adjacent ecosystem enabler for bin picking and parts feeding.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/pi4_robotics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pi4-robotics
• Facebookfacebook.com/pi4robotics
• Xtwitter.com/pi4_robotics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about pi4