Robitics & intelligent systems in the Greater Zurich Area

Robotics & intelligent systems in the Greater Zurich Area

The Greater Zurich Area continues to be a global leader in robotics, drone technology, artificial intelligence, and computer vision. This has attracted leading technology firms and talent and encouraged entrepreneurship in the region, leading to unmatched opportunities for intelligent & autonomous systems companies.

Autonomous Systems in the Greater Zurich Area Map — Discover the autonomous systems ecosystem in the Greater Zurich Area.

Download Autonomous Systems map

Virtually discover robotics & intelligent systems in Greater Zurich

Discover the Greater Zurich Area with our virtual platform. Explore the vibrant robotics & intelligent systems ecosystem and find the ideal space for your business, whether it's an industrial site, tech park, lab space, or co-working space. Start your virtual journey today and unlock the region's potential!

Explore now

Robotics & Intelligent Systems (Aumivi Teaser)

Top 5 reasons why the Greater Zurich Area is the ideal location for Autonomous Systems companies

World-class R&D with a rich network of international players
Leading innovation hub worldwide, fuelled by frequent and successful industry collaboration
Favorable and pragmatic regulations, offering the ideal and unique test-environment in Europe
Top talent availability and retention with a highly skilled local workforce
Pioneering spinoffs and cutting-edge startup landscape

Discover the advantages that the Greater Zurich Area offers your company in our factsheet for Autonomous Systems.

Download Factsheet

Robotics

Switzerland is proud to be known as the Silicon Valley of Robotics. Greater Zurich's robotics output is a key factor in this. Its universities and technology companies belong among the world’s leaders in computer vision, sensor technology, and artificial intelligence.

The cutting-edge technology of Swiss robotics companies is known worldwide and contributes to the excellent reputation of the location for autonomous systems. Leading universities in engineering, pioneering drone regulations as well as an ideal testing ground in Switzerland are bound to lead to rapid progress and growth in robotics technologies in the future.

Learn more

Drone technology

The Greater Zurich Area is the world’s leading location for the development of core technology for drones and robots in commercial applications. There are several leading universities here, such as ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. These universities are home to a large and active community of developers, numerous drone and component manufacturers and innovation-friendly authorities. Greater Zurich’s contributions to drone robotics in Europe further Switzerland’s reputation as the “Silicon Valley of Robotics”.

See why the Greater Zurich region is home to some of the latest advancements in drone robotics and artificial intelligence in the world.

Learn more here

Computer vision

The Greater Zurich Area is one of the world’s leading centers for computer vision. This is due to the leading universities, top talent, dynamic start-up scene and global tech giants that call the region home. These tech giants include Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, Huawei, Oracle and Disney Research | Studios. These companies, along with a growing startup ecosystem in the field, make the region a hotbed for machine learning in Europe.

Learn more here

EV & autonomous driving

Favourable regulation and access to European markets make the region an attractive base for companies advancing sustainable mobility through electric vehicles.

In the field of autonomous driving, permissions for Level 3 and Level 4 technologies starting in 2025 are supported by cutting-edge research, pilot projects, and strong industry collaboration.

Download Factsheet

Downloads

PDF ( 1.19 MB )

Whitepaper "Why Switzerland for drone companies"

Learn about the advantages and regulations for international drone companies in Greater Zurich.

PDF ( 285.14 KB )

Brochure "Greater Zurich at a glance"

Learn more about the advantages of doing business in the Greater Zurich Area.

PDF ( 6.11 MB )

Handbook for Investors

The brochure presents the main regional advantages of Switzerland.

PDF ( 1.43 MB )

Greater Zurich Area Expansion Guide

The PDF outlines why Greater Zurich is a top location for European expansion.

PDF ( 2.36 MB )

Why Switzerland for drone industry

Switzerland is one of the most advanced countries in the world for drone operations - learn why

PDF ( 11.62 MB )

Factsheet "Greater Zurich Area: The world's leading innovation hub"

Discover the key reasons why the Greater Zurich Area is the world's leading innovation hub.

PDF ( 672.22 KB )

Autonomous Systems: Guidelines for regulatory questions

What's happening in robotics in Greater Zurich?

Inside the rise of humanoids

Humanoid robotics is experiencing a remarkable surge in development and investment, building on recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and automation. The International Humanoid Forum in Biel, Switzerland, offered a timely window into this rapidly evolving field. Leading companies like Booster Robotics and Unitree showcased their advanced humanoid platforms, demonstrating capabilities that would have seemed implausible just a few years ago. These demonstrations underscored the forum's central message: Humanoid robots are no longer science-fiction but emerging solutions poised to address real-world challenges.

Driving innovation: Oliver Nahon on Greater Zurich's journey towards autonomous mobility

Autonomous mobility is on the rise, and Greater Zurich is swiftly emerging as a hotspot for this groundbreaking technology. We caught up with Oliver Nahon, Director of Operations at the Swiss Association for Autonomous Mobility (SAAM), to explore the dynamic ecosystem driving this growth. We discussed the importance of collaboration, some recent standout projects, and his advice for companies looking to join the region’s autonomous mobility scene.

Zurich Airport to launch self-driving shuttle bus

Kloten/Schaffhausen/San José - Flughafen Zürich AG is investing in a pilot project involving a self-driving shuttle bus with space for nine people. According to current plans, this will be put into service in the next few months. The Californian pioneer WeRide has been selected as technology provider.

Innovative robotics empowering everyday life in the Greater Zurich Area

In the international Cybathlon competition, individuals with physical disabilities tackle routine tasks using cutting-edge assistive technologies. Showcasing the rich robotics and intelligent systems ecosystem of the Greater Zurich Area, here are three groundbreaking solutions developed by local teams participating in the upcoming competition.

10 robotics startups from Greater Zurich you need to watch out for

10 must-see robotics startups from Greater Zurich

The Greater Zurich Area certainly lives up to its reputation as the Silicon Valley of robotics. World-famous startups have been born there and more are emerging all the time. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH in particular is a hotbed of innovations that reach market maturity. However, there are other crucial institutes such as the University Hospital Zurich, the University of Zurich, and the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Below we present ten startups from the Greater Zurich Area that are already significantly shaping the world of robotics or will do so soon.

Robotics in the Greater Zurich Area: «A huge amount of young potential»

Robotics in Greater Zurich: "A huge amount of young potential"

The Greater Zurich Area which includes ETH, is often termed the Silicon Valley of robotics. Justifiably so? ETH professor and serial entrepreneur Marco Hutter knows where the greatest opportunities in robotics lie.

UZH’s AI-piloted drone beats world champions

Zurich/Dübendorf - A drone from the University of Zurich (UZH) that has been trained with artificial intelligence (AI) has finished a challenging drone race course faster than the drones piloted by three human champions. According to the researchers, this is about raising drone efficiency.

The drone has a streamlined body to detect contact with branches anywhere.

Drones navigate even dense forest

Birmensdorf/Zurich - Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich have developed an innovative drone for biodiversity identification in forests. It can even weave its way through branches.

Longest urban drone delivery route worldwide to be launched in Zurich

Zurich/Mountain View - The Californian firm Matternet is to use its delivery drones to transport diagnostic samples between the Triemli and Waid hospitals in Zurich. This will be the longest urban drone delivery route in the world, and will in future serve as a template for other cities in Europe and the USA.

Wingtra drones facilitate aerial surveys of mines

Zurich - Wingtra manufactures specialized drones for aerial imaging. The start-up based in the Greater Zurich Area is now joining forces with the Californian drone software providers 3DR. The partners are aiming to offer a comprehensive aerial surveying solution, with mine operators standing to benefit from this development.

ABB and ETH step up robotics research

Zurich - ABB and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) have agreed to further expand their long-standing cooperation. A donation of 2.5 million Swiss francs from ABB is aimed at promoting ETH’s ambitious RobotX research program.

Robot to carry out spinal surgery

Zurich – In the future, it seems likely that robots will be able to work with greater precision than humans in delicate operations on the spinal column. A team of international researchers has now started work on developing a robot of this kind. Balgrist University Hospital is also involved in this project. It will be focusing on developing sensors.

Researchers make drones safer

Zurich - Drones run into difficulties when one of their rotors stops working. Researchers from the University of Zurich have developed a method to enable drones in these situations to continue to fly steadily using cameras instead of GPS.

Switzerland is a global drone pioneer

Thanks to an advanced regulatory environment and the cooperation of authorities, drone companies in Switzerland enjoy substantial scope in the development and application of new technologies. This set of circumstances produces world-leading innovations, as shown by a recent series of webinars covering the Swiss drone ecosystem. Watch the trailer below:

Read our success stories

Disney Research

Zurich is home to the only Disney Research center located in Europe due to it's quality of life, talent, proximity to ETH Zurich, and the local expertise of visual computing.

Google Switzerland

After 20 years in town, Google is an integral part of the Zurich ecosystem, and enjoys the internationality, great partnerships and wealth of innovative ideas offered by Zurich as a business location.

Hamilton

Hamilton is a worldwide leader in the areas of laboratory automation, sensor and medical technology. Since 1966, the the US company has been operating its product development and assembly in the Greater Zurich Area and also manages its marketing activities for Europe, Asia and Africa from this base.

Rankings, facts and figures

Home to over 100 robotics companies

30+ research laboratories are part of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Robotics

#3 worldwide for robotics patents in relation to number of inhabitants

Home to Google’s largest research campus outside of the U.S.

Contacts - Reach out

Lukas Sieber

Executive Director USA

lukas.sieber@greaterzuricharea.com

Rolf Bühler

Director Europe

Direct +41 44 254 59 12

rolf.buehler@greaterzuricharea.com

Milena Lussi

Project Manager Europe and Key Ecosystems

Direct +41 44 254 59 16

milena.lussi@greaterzuricharea.com

Robotics & intelligent systems in the Greater Zurich Area

Virtually discover robotics & intelligent systems in Greater Zurich

Virtually discover robotics & intelligent systems in Greater Zurich