Xnova

What Xnova does

XNOVA is a Kyoto University spin-off founded in May 2021 that develops field robotics and Physical AI systems for the Japanese construction and infrastructure industry. The company's integrated platform combines quadruped patrol robots, LiDAR-based millimeter-accuracy 3D point cloud mapping, AI vision for real-time detection of structural elements, heavy equipment, workers, and materials, and a proprietary GPS-free localization engine paired with an edge-deployable Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model. These components are purpose-built for non-structured, GPS-denied indoor and underground construction environments, addressing Japan's severe construction labor shortage, the lack of applicable safety standards for human-robot collaboration on sites, and the fragmentation of site data.

The company also pursues adjacent AI applications, most notably the "Buddharoid" humanoid robot — a Buddhist scripture-trained dialogue AI with voice interaction and reproduction of religious gestures, co-developed with Kyoto University's Institute for the Future of Human and Society and Teraverse Inc., and unveiled at Shorin'in Monzeki Temple in February 2026.

XNOVA operates through a direct B2B enterprise sales motion targeting large Japanese general contractors, infrastructure operators, and major systems integrators. Revenue is generated via commissioned development contracts (professional services), sales or licensing of robot systems and on-site data infrastructure (hardware), and AI application development (subscription/recurring). The company maintains a Kyoto development headquarters and a Tokyo engineering office, and counts Shimizu Corporation, Esuusu Co., Ltd., Panasonic Holdings, NTT Data Group, and PKSHA Technology among its named major clients and partners.

Name

Xnova

Legal name

株式会社XNOVA

Website

https://xnova-tech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

XNOVA is a Kyoto University spin-off building Physical AI and field robotics — quadruped patrol robots, LiDAR point-cloud mapping, AI vision, GPS-free localization, and edge VLA models — for Japanese construction and infrastructure sites. It sells primarily via commissioned enterprise development contracts and robot/data system sales to general contractors and systems integrators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Robotics

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction & Mining Robotics (HDAAAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK)

Keywords

• Construction robotics systems
• Field robotics platform
• AI vision inspection
• Point cloud scanning
• Edge AI robotics

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Development (、受託開発): XNOVA derives revenue from commissioned development contracts for custom robotics and AI systems targeting construction and infrastructure companies. Projects span from requirements definition through demonstration and improvement, in short iterative cycles.
2. Robot Systems & On-site Data Infrastructure: Sale or licensing of proprietary robot systems and on-site data acquisition and integration platforms developed for construction and infrastructure sites. Revenue from system sales and associated software/AI components.
3. AI Application Development: Development and deployment of AI applications, including dialogue AI systems (e.g., Buddhist scripture-trained AI) and computer vision systems for real-time detection of site conditions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

XNOVA develops and deploys field robotics and AI systems for construction and infrastructure sites, combining quadruped patrol robots that autonomously scan sites with LiDAR, a point cloud aggregation system (SCAN) that builds millimeter-accuracy digital replicas, and AI VISION software that detects structural elements, heavy equipment, workers, and materials in real time. The company also develops the Buddharoid humanoid with Buddhist-scripture-trained dialogue AI, and underlying technologies including a GPS-free self-localization engine and an edge-deployable Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model for autonomous and semi-autonomous operations in GPS-denied construction environments.

Product overview

XNOVA offers an integrated field robotics and AI platform for the construction and infrastructure industry. The core system consists of three interconnected components: ROBOT PATROL (quadruped walking inspection robots), SCAN (point cloud data aggregation), and AI VISION (real-time detection of site elements). Additional products include the Buddharoid humanoid robot for Buddhist dialogue applications, GPS-Free Positioning Engine for indoor/underground navigation, and VLA technology for edge-based autonomous operations. The company combines hardware robotics with AI software to create a unified field-to-insights pipeline for construction site automation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ブッダロイド (Buddharoid): A humanoid robot co-developed with Kyoto University and Teraverse Inc., featuring a Buddhist scripture-trained dialogue AI, voice interaction, and religious gesture reproduction such as gassho (palms together), bowing, and zazen meditation poses.

Products and services

• ROBOT PATROL (四足歩行型現場巡回ロボット) Quadruped walking robot that autonomously patrols construction sites daily, using LiDAR to real-time generate millimeter-accuracy point cloud maps of traversed areas and record the current state of the site without omission. Designed for enterprise construction and infrastructure customers seeking autonomous, unmanned site inspection.
• SCAN (巡回データを点群に集約) Point cloud data aggregation system that integrates scans collected by ROBOT PATROL units into unified millimeter-accuracy 3D point cloud data, creating a digital replica of the real-world construction site for enterprise customers.
• AI VISION (躯体・重機・作業員・資材をリアルタイム検出) AI Vision system for real-time detection of structural elements, heavy equipment, workers, and materials on construction sites, continuously monitoring both project progress and safety conditions for enterprise customers.
• Buddharoid (ブッダロイド) Humanoid robot equipped with a Buddhist scripture-trained generative dialogue AI, voice interaction, and reproduction of religious gestures including gassho, bowing, and zazen postures, with ethically designed response control. Aimed at providing psychological safety for difficult-to-discuss concerns, supporting religious sites facing labor shortages, and exploring the intersection of AI ethics and religious ethics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millimeter-accuracy point cloud data generation from autonomous daily robot patrols
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• クアルコム・テクノロジーズ (Qualcomm Technologies)flagshipTechnology or Integration · 23 June 2026XNOVA was selected as one of 15 final companies for the Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators (QAIPI) 2026 - APAC. The program grants XNOVA access to Qualcomm Dragonwing and Snapdragon platforms, 6 months of mentorship, and the opportunity to present at the December 2026 demo day. XNOVA is leveraging this to develop GPS-free localization engines and edge VLA chips for construction site robotics.
• 京都大学 人と社会の未来研究院 (Institute for the Future of Human and Society, Kyoto University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Co-development partnership with Kyoto University's Institute for the Future of Human and Society (led by Prof. Kumagai Seiji) and Teraverse Inc. for the 'Buddharoid' project — a humanoid robot with Buddhist scripture-trained dialogue AI. XNOVA is responsible for integrated dialogue AI and physical AI design, robot control infrastructure, and multimodal control. This academic partnership provides research credibility and enables cross-disciplinary AI innovation.
• テラバース株式会社 (Teraverse Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Three-party joint development with Kyoto University and XNOVA for the Buddharoid project. Teraverse contributes humanoid robot hardware and religious gesture reproduction capabilities. The partnership demonstrates XNOVA's ability to integrate dialogue AI, physical AI, and robotic hardware across organizational boundaries.
• 青蓮院門跡 (Shorin'in Monzeki Temple)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Buddharoid was publicly unveiled at Shorin'in Monzeki Temple (a prestigious Tendai sect temple in Kyoto's Higashiyama district), providing the physical and cultural environment for demonstrating the fusion of AI and religious thought. The temple served as the launch venue for the project's media debut.
• 、AIロボット協会 (AI Robot Association / AIRoA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025XNOVA participates as a cultivation member of AIRoA, an organization established in December 2024 to build an open, cross-industry robot data ecosystem and promote AI-robot fusion foundation models. XNOVA contributes its field robotics data (visual, depth, LiDAR, state, operation logs) and gains access to ecosystem-wide data standards, learning, and evaluation frameworks.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trimble Inc. Trimble is a major construction technology incumbent offering hardware, software, and services for surveying, building information modeling, and site digitization. Comparable to XNOVA in serving the construction industry's data acquisition and integration needs, though as a broad portfolio rather than robotics-focused.
• Leica Geosystems (Hexagon): Leica Geosystems is a global leader in surveying, laser scanning, and geospatial measurement equipment widely used in construction site digitization. Comparable to XNOVA in point cloud data acquisition for construction environments, though as a much broader incumbent across surveying industries.
• Komatsu Ltd. Komatsu is a major Japanese construction equipment manufacturer with extensive Smart Construction automation initiatives including autonomous and semi-autonomous heavy equipment. Comparable to XNOVA as a Japanese construction technology player addressing labor shortages, though at much larger scale and focused on heavy equipment rather than inspection robots.
• Topcon Corporation: Topcon is a Japanese construction and surveying technology company offering GNSS, laser scanning, and machine control solutions. Comparable to XNOVA in Japanese construction market positioning and overlap in point cloud and positioning technologies, though Topcon is far larger and more diversified.

Direct peers

• ANYbotics: ANYbotics produces the ANYmal quadruped robot for autonomous industrial inspection in energy, construction, and process industries. Closely comparable to XNOVA's Robot Patrol in hardware form factor, autonomous navigation capabilities, and target vertical use cases including GPS-denied indoor environments.
• Dusty Robotics: Dusty Robotics builds autonomous layout and field robotics for construction sites, addressing similar labor-shortage and digitization pain points as XNOVA. While Dusty focuses on multi-trade layout marking rather than patrol/inspection, both target general contractors seeking field-deployed robotics automation on active job sites.
• Boston Dynamics: Boston Dynamics manufactures the Spot quadruped robot, which is actively deployed for construction site monitoring, progress tracking, and safety inspection — directly comparable to XNOVA's Robot Patrol platform. Both companies target the same use case of autonomous quadruped-based site digitization, though Boston Dynamics has greater scale and broader global reach.
• Ghost Robotics: Ghost Robotics manufactures Vision-60 and Spirit-40 quadruped robots for industrial, defense, and commercial inspection applications. Directly comparable to XNOVA in quadruped form factor and autonomous site monitoring use cases, with overlap in GPS-denied navigation requirements.

Emerging players

• Canvas: Canvas builds construction robotics for drywall finishing, addressing on-site skilled labor gaps in the construction industry. Comparable to XNOVA in its focus on field-deployed construction robotics targeting labor shortages, though with a narrower task-specific scope.
• Build Robotics: Build Robotics develops automation for modular and onsite construction assembly, addressing labor shortages through robotic construction equipment. Comparable to XNOVA in its vertical-specific approach to construction robotics, though focused on assembly rather than inspection and monitoring.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Xnova