Research, industry, and politics: Things are moving in the robotics scene. This is also reflected in the German Robotics Conference (GRC), the specialized conference of the Robotics Institute Germany (RIG), where key players from Germany’s robotics and AI ecosystem come together. This year marked the second edition of the conference. It showcases current developments and groundbreaking research – but that’s not all. Startups also have the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.

At the Startup Award 2026, held in March as part of the GRC, five startups competed: DynamoBot, enabling-robotics, FORMOVE, Versatile Robotics, and Olive Robotics. Two of the finalists, Olive Robotics and FORMOVE, are supported by the TUM-based robotics incubator robo.innovate and highlight the strength of Munich’s innovation ecosystem. The award ultimately went to Olive Robotics.

Olive Robotics, co-founded by Dr.-Ing. Edwin Babaians, Co-Founder and CTO, develops a new generation of sensor intelligence for autonomous systems. At its core is a key challenge in robotics: the reliability of sensor data. As Babaians explains, Olive Robotics addresses “a fundamental bottleneck in robotics: unreliable sensing caused by non-deterministic data, latency, and fragmented system architectures.” The startup’s approach is to embed intelligence directly into the sensor and transform raw data into structured, synchronized real-time data streams. This enables robots to perceive their environment more precisely and reliably. An important step toward more stable and scalable autonomous systems. Winning the RIG Outstanding Startup Award marks a significant milestone for the team. As Babaians notes: “It builds trust with our customers and pushes us to deliver even better products — meeting and exceeding the expectations of real-world robotics.”

Olive Robotics originated as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), based on research in robotics, sensor fusion, and embedded systems. The company is part of the ecosystem of the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI), where interdisciplinary research meets entrepreneurial implementation. Prof. Lorenzo Masia, Executive Director of TUM MIRMI, commented on the award: “The success of Olive Robotics shows that at TUM MIRMI, we are able to translate cutting-edge research into globally competitive startups.” At the same time, he emphasized that Europe has the potential to take a leading role in deep-tech robotics. Initiatives such as robo.innovate are key in this context: “robo.innovate acts as a bridge between research and the market by giving startups early access to infrastructure, interdisciplinary expertise, and support for growth,” said Prof. Masia. Close collaboration with industry also plays a central role: “Successful robotics innovation depends on close collaboration between academia and industry. This enables faster validation and ensures that solutions are aligned with real-world requirements.”

Looking ahead, Olive Robotics is pursuing a clear vision. As Babaians describes: “Our vision is to build the sensing foundation for scalable embodied AI.”

Text: Sarra Chaouch-Şimşek