SR Robotics (SRR), a Katowice-based firm specialising in underwater robotics, has secured over €8.4 million in capital from a fund managed by Vinci, an organization from the Financial institution Gospodarstwa Krajowego Group.
This marks the profitable completion of SRR’s strategic investor search.
“Our aim is to form the way forward for underwater expertise. We’re creating revolutionary merchandise, and, in chosen areas, we provide options with a singular aggressive benefit and a gorgeous RaaS enterprise mannequin,” says Tomasz Hartwig, CEO and Co-founder of SR Robotics. “Due to Vinci’s assist, we will improve the dimensions of our operations and the supply of companies in a subscription mannequin.”
Based in 2017, SRR operates in two major areas: the event of remotely operated and autonomous underwater robots, and environmentally pleasant ship hull cleansing companies.
The corporate develops dual-use robots for the civil and defence sectors, enabling the detection and neutralisation of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and chemical weapons, in addition to seabed mapping and the safeguarding of each essential underwater infrastructure and strategic ports.
As a part of the service providing, prospects obtain an appropriately configured robotic and full operator assist, in addition to distant diagnostics, monitoring, and upkeep. This seems to get rid of the necessity for capital funding in buying robots or servicing prices.
The SR Robotics portfolio additionally consists of: the Crab Backside Crawler, the Octopus ROV, the ASV Narwal, the Nautilus ROV and the MagRob CL, and MagRob AC.
Certainly one of SRR’s key differentiators is using synthetic intelligence to assist underwater operations – together with techniques for analysing sensor knowledge and figuring out submerged objects. This expertise might show essential to the offshore sector, together with offshore wind farms, and to strengthening the nation’s vitality safety.
One other key space of SRR’s actions is the design and manufacture of magnetic robots for cleansing ship hulls and different hard-to-reach underwater surfaces. SRR plans to regularly deploy its hull cleansing service, beginning with Poland’s major ports, after which increasing to key European harbours. This initiative helps each the ecological sustainability of maritime transport and the safety of native marine ecosystems, according to EU environmental laws.
SRR can also be serving to to develop Polish experience in underwater robotics by way of instructional actions carried out in collaboration with the Maritime Economic system Vocational Coaching Centre in Szczecin, the Maritime College in Gdynia, and the Silesian College of Expertise.
“Investing in SR Robotics is about extra than simply supporting technological improvement; it’s additionally about constructing nationwide competence in defending essential underwater infrastructure, equivalent to cables and pipelines. Moreover, it’s an funding within the safety of strategic knowledge for the Polish maritime space, together with any infrastructure developed there, equivalent to wind farms,” factors out Bartosz Drabikowski, CEO Vinci S.A. “We recognise the corporate’s super potential as a pacesetter in underwater robotics, with its market-ready product portfolio and a clearly outlined commercialisation technique.”
In response to knowledge supplied by SR Robotics, maritime transport is an important a part of the worldwide economic system, accounting for 90% of worldwide commerce in items, whereas producing round 3% of worldwide greenhouse fuel emissions.
SRR’s expertise due to this fact goals to unravel an financial downside and one associated to invasive organisms attaching themselves to ships hulls. Gasoline prices account for round 60% of the full value of maritime freight, and microflora on ship hulls trigger a mean improve in gas consumption of as much as 10%.
Towards the backdrop of the not too long ago launched CO₂ fees (ETS) in maritime transport, SRR’s answer takes on added significance.
In response to the corporate, their underwater autos can conduct geophysical and ferromagnetic surveys for offshore investments in all climate circumstances. SRR robots can survey the seabed visually, together with conducting underwater inspections in areas which are tough or not possible for people to entry.
They will reporteedly carry out harmful duties that may in any other case put divers liable to harm or loss of life and assist them in further work. With use of sonar expertise, underwater objects, together with hydrotechnical infrastructure, may be monitored even in poor visibility.
“The BGK Group’s funding in SR Robotics is absolutely aligned with BGK’s 2025–2030 technique, one of many pillars of which is offering each banking and fairness assist for the event of cutting-edge applied sciences, together with these utilized inside our nationwide protection sector. The twin-use expertise supplied by SR Robotics is not only about gaining a market edge – additionally it is a matter of nationwide safety. Poland wants dependable suppliers of underwater applied sciences, as a result of this serves our nation’s important pursuits,” says Mirosław Czekaj, President of Financial institution Gospodarstwa Krajowego.
This ties into latest issues over Russian interference with underwater cables, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk not too long ago accusing Russia of utilizing darkish fleet tankers to break undersea infrastructure, as reported by LLoyd’s Record.
The capital raised on this spherical will likely be used to increase the corporate’s manufacturing capability, improve the supply of its robotic fleet below the Robotic-as-a-Service (RaaS) mannequin, construct a Distant Operations and Evaluation Centre, and set up a coaching centre for unmanned underwater car operators.
The funding may even assist the event of native Polish experience in servicing offshore wind farm infrastructure.
