Aithon Robotics builds drones that stick to surfaces

Built for meticulous inspection: Eight ETH graduates have developed a drone for bridge inspections.

Let’s recall: Prometheus brought fire to humanity and was punished by Zeus, king of the gods, who banished him from Olympus. As punishment, he was chained to a cliff. Hanging there, the eagle Aithon set upon him.

Now, ETH graduates are bringing mythology into reality: under the name Aithon Robotics, they’ve developed a drone that attaches to various surfaces. “We can perform tasks that would otherwise require scaffolding or lifting platforms, even in hard-to-reach places,” explains Timon Mathis, one of the co-founders.

“One important use case is bridge inspection: we can fly to any point on a bridge, attach ourselves there, scan the surface, even take a core sample, and then fly away again.” Their eagle can press tools weighing up to 5 kg against a wall with a force of 30 kg. The attachment works via suction cups, powered by two vacuum cleaner motors. Currently Aithon Robotics is deploying on infrastructure assets across Europe, where access costs make up 40% of inspection budgets and require humans to work in dangerous environments. “Combining the mobility of drones with human interaction is a game-changer for our customers. No more lane closures and faster results, without having to compromise on the quality of the work done,” explains Mathis, mentioning that they are now working on a system that is simple enough for anyone to use.

A significant part of the development is thanks to the environment on the IPZ (Innovation Park Zurich) campus. “We benefit from the exchange every day,” says Mathis. “In every respect: a random conversation at the coffee machine can unexpectedly move you a crucial step forward.” And if anyone would know, it’s the Aithon team. They’re already veterans on the premises: back in 2022, they were allowed to use a garage for flight tests, then they spent two years in the “Büro Züri” office, and are one of the first industrial projects to move into Hangar 2 at ETH Zurich. It doesn’t get more IPZ than that.