Tokyo, Japan / Rome, Italy – December 24
hibot Corporation, a Japanese robotics company specialized in inspection and maintenance solutions for critical infrastructure, today announced a strategic investment by Terna Forward (the Terna Group company dedicated to Corporate Venture Capital) Terna is the Italian transmission system operator (TSO) and the largest electricity transmission operator in Europe, managing over 75,000 km of power lines.
The investment follows more than two years of close technical and operational collaboration between hibot and Terna, focused on the development of a new robotic system capable of performing maintenance operations on live power lines. The solution significantly enhances operational safety by eliminating the need for workers to physically operate on energized lines, while avoiding power shutdowns. In addition, the technology contributes to a substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions, as helicopters are no longer required for these maintenance activities.
hibot is internationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to the development of robotic solutions for infrastructure inspection and maintenance in hazardous and hard-to-access environments. The company gained global attention for deploying robotic systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, experience that led to the development of several flagship products, including the Float Arm robotic platform.
Today, hibot combines advanced robotic hardware with AI-powered data analytics through its proprietary HiBox digital platform, enabling safer operations, richer data acquisition, and accelerated digital transformation for infrastructure operators.
Energy & Environment Investment, Inc. (EEI) and DRONE FUND Inc. have led this financial round with Terna, bringing the total investment amount to JPY 790 million.
With this funding, hibot will proceed with a new investment round aimed at accelerating its global expansion. The company already operates internationally, with offices in Aachen (Germany) and Houston (USA), from where it deploys its robotic solutions to major oil & gas, chemical, energy, and civil construction companies worldwide.
Comment from hibot
“We are proud of the trust Terna Forward has placed in hibot. This investment validates our vision and accelerates our focus on robotic solutions for critical infrastructure — especially high-voltage power transmission — building on the extremely strong and collaborative partnership we have developed with Terna so far.
In addition, the new investment from EEI and the continued investment from DRONE FUND demonstrate a deep understanding of the global and societal impact that our solutions deliver. Together with Terna, this marks a significant milestone and a major leap forward for hibot. We sincerely appreciate their support.”
— Michele Guarnieri, CEO, hibot Corporation
Comment from EEI
“hibot has developed groundbreaking robotic technologies capable of operating in extreme environments where human access is difficult, while acquiring highly advanced inspection data for infrastructure maintenance. Addressing the aging of infrastructure is not only a critical issue in Japan but a global challenge, and we are confident that hibot’s solutions will significantly enhance the resilience of asset maintenance through effective utilization of data.
With the expectation that hibot’s technologies will be deployed globally and generate a meaningful impact in supporting the safety of social infrastructure, we decided to make this investment. EEI will fully leverage its international network to support hibot’s continued growth and development.”
— Ryusuke Hayashi and Chihiro Ozaki, EEI
Comment from DRONE FUND
“At DRONE FUND, we are promoting the social implementation of autonomous robotics across land, sea, and air toward realizing a ‘drone and air-mobility–enabled society.’ Following our investment in the previous round, we are pleased to make an additional investment in this round.
In this financing round, new investors who can generate strong synergies in both business and R&D have joined, and we find it highly encouraging that this will serve as a catalyst for the company’s full-scale expansion in the global market. As a robotics company originating from Japan, we expect hibot to grow into a presence that creates real value at worksites around the world.
To further accelerate global expansion, we look forward to deepening our support together with the investors who have newly joined this round.”
— Yuki Nagasawa, Investment Director, DRONE FUND
hibot corp., PR team