National Centre of Robotics and Automation

What National Centre of Robotics and Automation does

National Centre of Robotics and Automation (NCRA) is a Pakistani research consortium headquartered at NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering in Rawalpindi. It coordinates 11 specialized labs distributed across 13 Pakistani universities — including NUST, LUMS, UET Lahore, UCP, ITU Lahore, Air University, FAST-NUCES, UET Taxila, NED Karachi, MUET, BUITEMS, MUST, and UET Peshawar — covering prosthetics, MEMS sensors, agricultural robotics, UAV avionics, swarm robotics, haptics, industrial automation, and autonomous vehicles. The consortium operates as a shared R&D and prototyping platform, with the Robot Maker Lab functioning as a centralized manufacturing facility equipped with 5-axis CNC machining, 3D printing, laser precision machining, and PCB prototyping used across all participating labs and by external startups.

The technical portfolio spans myo-electric controlled upper-limb prosthetics (commercialized as a spin-off startup called Myobionics), MEMS sensor and actuator design, software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing of UAS avionics, swarm robotics for emergency-communication networks, precision seed-planting and intelligent spraying machines, haptic/tele-robotic interfaces, and predictive maintenance solutions for industrial equipment. NCRA is supported by a Scientific and Industrial Advisory Board that includes representation from Carnegie Mellon, Pusan National University, University of Kaiserslautern, University of Innsbruck, University of Oslo, Harbin Institute of Technology, Washington State University, and University of Waterloo.

The revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial: confirmed inflows include an Ignite National Technology Fund grant of PKR 14.12 million for the myo-electric prosthesis project, a Pakistan Science Foundation grant of PKR 2.7 million for lower-limb prosthesis work, and cumulative research grants exceeding PKR 140 million attributed to the UAV Dependability Lab principal investigator across multiple funders (Ignite, PSF, PARC, KP Department of Science and Technology, ICT Fund, and ORIC grants). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customer-facing activity comprises paid technical training programs, consultancy and prototyping services via the Robot Maker Lab, contracted international services (e.g., 3D mapping for AIT Solution Thailand), and technology commercialization through licensing and equity spin-offs. The user base spans Pakistani defense and agriculture agencies, the disabled and rehabilitation community, manufacturing plants, transport infrastructure operators, academic researchers, and robotics startups.

Name

National Centre of Robotics and Automation

Legal name

National Centre of Robotics and Automation

Website

https://ncra.org.pk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NCRA is a Pakistani research consortium of 11 robotics labs across 13 universities, headquartered at NUST, that conducts indigenous R&D in prosthetics, MEMS sensors, UAV avionics, swarm robotics, precision agriculture, and industrial automation, and commercializes outcomes via grants, consulting, training, and startup spin-offs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Robotics Research and Development Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Printed Circuit Boards (3672)

akta.pro primary industry

Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

CNC Machining & Programming (EDAOAGAA), Industrial CAD/CAM for Manufacturing (EDAOAGAG)

Keywords

• Industrial automation systems
• Prosthetic device development
• Precision agriculture robotics
• UAV systems engineering
• Robotics research consortium

Headquarters

HQ city

Rawalpindi

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NCRA is a research consortium operating 11 specialized robotics and automation labs across 13 Pakistani universities, providing indigenous technology development, prototyping services, and technical training. The centre develops solutions in prosthetics, UAV systems, MEMS sensors, swarm robotics, precision agriculture, industrial automation, and haptic interfaces, with commercialization pathways including licensing and spin-off startups.

Product overview

The National Centre of Robotics and Automation (NCRA) is a consortia of 11 research labs across 13 universities in Pakistan, headquartered at NUST College of E&ME. The consortium operates as a distributed research and development platform rather than a single product company. The labs include Robot Maker Lab (RML), Robot Design and Development Lab, Human Centered Robotics Lab, Industrial Monitoring and Automation Lab (iMAL), MEMS Sensor Design and Testing Lab, Agricultural Robotics Lab, UAV Dependability Lab, Swarm Robotics Lab, Haptics/Human-Robotics and Condition Monitoring Systems Lab, Control Automotive and Robotics Lab (CARL), and Advanced Robotics and Automation Lab. Each lab operates as an independent research unit focusing on specific robotics and automation domains. Additionally, NCRA has spin-off startups like Myobionics commercializing prosthetic technology, and offers technical training programs through its various labs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Advanced Robotics and Automation Lab: Precision agriculture, industrial automation, and biomedical devices including prosthetics, orthotics, seed sowing technology, and intelligent spray systems.
• Robot Maker Lab (RML)
• Robot Design and Development Lab
• Human Centered Robotics Lab (HCRL)
• Industrial Monitoring and Automation Lab (iMAL)
• MEMs Sensor Design and Testing Lab
• Agricultural Robotics Lab
• UAV Dependability Lab
• Swarm Robotics Lab
• Haptics, Human-Robotics and Condition Monitoring Lab
• Control Automotive and Robotics Lab (CARL)

Products and services

• Robot Maker Lab (RML) Centralized shared manufacturing facility equipped with state-of-the-art rapid prototyping, machining, and fabrication facilities for robot parts. Offers metal working, plastic working, wood working, carbon fiber processing, and PCB circuit design and fabrication with 5-axis CNC machining, 3D printing, laser precision machining, and PCB rapid prototyping capabilities. Target revenue of PKR 9.5 million in three years from this facility.
• Technical Training Programs Technical training offerings including soldering/desoldering, SOLIDWORKS CAD, CNC machining, CNC laser, PCB design and manufacturing, wearable sensors, industrial automation, EtherCAT in robotics, ROS essentials, computer vision, edge AI, Python bootcamp, drone flight training, and AI bootcamp. Targets to train more than 100 individuals through workshops in first three years.
• Myobionics Prosthetic Hands Spin-off startup commercializing myo-electric controlled upper limb prosthetic hands developed through NCRA research. Funded by Ignite National Technology Fund.

Quantifiable outcome

• Target revenue of PKR 9.5 Million in three years from Robot Maker Lab alone
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Italian Institute of Technology (IIT): Public-private research consortium in Italy operating multiple labs focused on robotics, industrial automation, prosthetics, and human-centered technologies. Highly comparable to NCRA's national-consortium model with shared infrastructure across specialized labs.
• Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST): South Korean government-funded multi-disciplinary research institute with robotics, MEMS, and industrial automation programs. Comparable as a national-scale R&D consortium operating in similar technology domains.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc) – Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber-Physical Systems: Indian academic consortium running multidisciplinary robotics and automation labs under a single national hub. Closely comparable governance and funding mix of government grants and industry partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Tsinghua University – Intelligent Robotics Institute: Established Chinese university research hub with deep robotics, UAV, and industrial automation programs. Comparable technology scope but at materially larger scale and funding than NCRA.
• ETH Zurich – Autonomous Systems Lab: Leading European academic robotics research group working on legged/wheeled robots, UAVs, and haptic interfaces. Comparable research domains but with much higher international grant access.
• Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute: Premier global academic robotics institution whose faculty (e.g., Prof. Takeo Kanade) sits on NCRA's advisory board. Highly comparable research domains (manipulation, UAVs, haptics) but vastly larger scale.
• DJI: Global commercial leader in UAV/drone technology. Overlaps directly with NCRA's UAV Dependability Lab work on avionics testing and autonomous flight, but at commercial scale and product maturity.
• Universal Robots: Commercial collaborative robot (cobot) leader whose product portfolio overlaps with NCRA's Human Centered Robotics Lab work on collaborative robots and industrial automation.

Emerging players

• Boston Dynamics: Commercial robotics company developing advanced humanoid and quadruped robots. Comparable technology domain (legged locomotion, autonomous systems) but operates at commercial scale and capital intensity well beyond NCRA.
• Ekso Bionics: Commercial exoskeleton and robotic rehabilitation company. Closely comparable to NCRA's Human Centered Robotics Lab and Advanced Robotics & Automation Lab prosthetics/exoskeleton programs, though at later commercial stage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ncra.org.pk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-centre-of-robotics-automation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Centre of Robotics and Automation