Autonomous Systems Lab

What Autonomous Systems Lab does

Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) is an academic research laboratory founded in 1996 at EPFL Lausanne and relocated to ETH Zurich in 2006, where it operates within the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT) under the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS). The lab is led by Prof. Dr. Roland Siegwart, who simultaneously heads the Wyss Zurich Translational Center, signaling a structural mandate for research-to-commercialization translation. Headquartered at Leonhardstrasse 21, Zürich, ASL operates at institutional scale with 501-1,000 employees.

ASL's research spans autonomous robotics across three domains — ground, air, and water — with core technical competencies in mechatronic design and control, perception, abstraction, mapping, and path planning. Proprietary technologies include Baro-Radar-Inertial Odometry (RIO) for robust multisensor fusion in urban and forested environments, fixed-wing autonomous active mapping for steep alpine terrain, the snake-like RoBoa robot architecture for industrial inspection and search-and-rescue, and the GERANOS multirotor UAV for aerial transportation and assembly. Multiple best-paper awards at ICRA 2024 and IEEE MFI 2024 validate the technical rigor of the lab's output.

ASL does not operate as a commercial entity. Its outputs are academic publications, graduate-level education through the Master of Science ETH in Robotics, Systems and Control program, and technology transfer via spin-off companies (notably RoBoa, which won the Swiss Technology Award 2024 in the Inventors category) and the Wyss Zurich Translational Center. The lab's customers are therefore engineering students and the broader robotics research community rather than paying commercial users, and revenue mechanics are tied to ETH Zurich federal funding and grant capture rather than product sales.

Name

Autonomous Systems Lab

Legal name

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich

Website

https://asl.ethz.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) is an ETH Zurich academic research laboratory founded in 1996 that develops autonomous robotics technology across ground, air, and water domains, serving graduate students, the global research community, and spin-off ventures through the Wyss Zurich Translational Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Robotics Research

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH), Mechatronics Systems & Integration (EDAOAHAB)

Keywords

• Autonomous robotics research
• Robotics research laboratory
• Autonomous navigation systems
• Unmanned aerial vehicles
• Multisensor fusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Autonomous Systems Lab is a university research laboratory that creates autonomous robots and intelligent systems able to operate in complex and diverse environments, including ground, air, and water domains. The lab conducts research in mechatronic design and control, perception, abstraction, mapping, and path planning, and contributes to graduate education through the Master of Science ETH in Robotics, Systems and Control program. ASL does not sell commercial products; its outputs are research, publications, technology demonstrators (RoBoa, GERANOS, AtlantikSolar), and technology transfer through spin-offs.

Product overview

Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) at ETH Zurich is a robotics research laboratory, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services for sale. The lab conducts research in autonomous robotics across ground, air, and water domains, with notable research outputs including the RoBoa snake-like robot technology, the GERANOS multirotor UAV project, and the AtlantikSolar solar-powered aircraft. ASL primarily contributes through academic education (Master's program in Robotics, Systems and Control), student projects via the SiROP platform, and research publications rather than commercial product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RoBoa Snake-like robot technology developed as an ASL startup for industrial inspections and search and rescue applications.
• GERANOS Specialized multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed for aerial transportation and assembly in challenging terrains, including construction of antennas and cable-car masts.
• AtlantikSolar Solar-powered autonomous aircraft developed at ASL for long-endurance flight missions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful spin-off company (RoBoa) winning Swiss Technology Award 2024 in the Inventors category
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SINTEFminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SINTEF honored ASL Guest Researcher Eleni Kelasidi with the Outstanding Research Award 2023 for developing robotics and autonomy in aquaculture, indicating collaborative research relationship
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006ASL has been part of the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) at ETH Zurich since 2006, operating as a research laboratory within the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT)
• EPFL LausanneminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996ASL was originally founded at EPFL Lausanne in 1996 before relocating to ETH Zurich in 2006, maintaining historical academic ties
• Wyss Zurich Translational CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Roland Siegwart serves as Head of Wyss Zurich Translational Center, indicating a close strategic partnership for technology translation and commercialization of robotics research

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saildrone: Saildrone develops autonomous uncrewed surface vehicles for ocean monitoring, comparable to ASL's water-domain autonomy work recognized by SINTEF in the aquaculture research area.
• Flyability: Flyability is a Swiss company building collision-tolerant drones for indoor industrial inspection, closely comparable to ASL's UAV autonomy research and a regional commercialization analog to ASL's work.
• Skydio: Skydio builds autonomous drones with advanced obstacle avoidance and GPS-denied navigation, directly comparable to ASL's GERANOS multirotor UAV and RIO multisensor-fusion research for challenging environments.
• ANYbotics: ANYbotics is an ETH Zurich spin-off building autonomous quadruped robots for industrial inspection — directly comparable to ASL's mission of autonomous navigation in complex environments and an example of ASL's own commercialization pathway.
• Sarcos Robotics: Sarcos develops teleoperated and autonomous robotic systems for industrial and defense applications, comparable to ASL's ground-domain autonomy and human-assistive robotics research portfolio.
• Ghost Robotics: Ghost Robotics builds autonomous quadruped unmanned ground vehicles for defense and industrial applications, comparable to ASL's ground-domain autonomy and rough-terrain navigation research.
• Clearpath Robotics: Clearpath Robotics produces autonomous mobile robot platforms widely used in academic and industrial robotics research, comparable to ASL's role as a research lab developing and validating autonomous navigation stacks.
• OC Robotics: OC Robotics develops snake-arm robots for inspection and confined-space operations, directly comparable to ASL's RoBoa snake-like robot technology for industrial inspection and search-and-rescue.

Broad incumbents

• DJI: DJI is the dominant commercial drone manufacturer with autonomous flight capabilities; a broad incumbent that overlaps with ASL's UAV autonomy research but at massive commercial scale across consumer and enterprise markets.
• Boston Dynamics: Boston Dynamics develops autonomous legged and humanoid robots for industrial and research use, overlapping with ASL's ground-domain autonomy work but at much larger commercial scale across a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asl_ethz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/aslteam
• Instagraminstagram.com/asl_eth
• Facebookfacebook.com/ethinformatik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eth-zurich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Autonomous Systems Lab