Tokyo, Japan ｜April 13,2026
We are proud to announce that hibot has been selected as one of the Top 60 startups globally to participate in the Free Electrons 10th Edition Pitch Event — the world’s largest open innovation program connecting energy startups with leading utilities.
This milestone is a recognition of hibot’s work at the intersection of robotics, inspection technology, and energy infrastructure safety. After a highly competitive international selection process drawing applications from hundreds of startups worldwide, hibot was chosen to advance to the program’s virtual Pitch Event, taking place the week of April 13th, 2026.
What is Free Electrons?
Free Electrons is the world’s largest open innovation accelerator program purpose built for the energy sector. Now celebrating its 10th edition, the program brings together early- and growth-stage startups with a consortium of leading global energy utilities to co-develop breakthrough solutions, launch pilot projects, and unlock investment and commercial partnerships.
The 2026 edition is backed by six major utility partners spanning four continents:
CLP — Hong Kong | EDP — Portugal | E.ON — Germany | ESB — Ireland | Hydro Québec — Canada | Origin Energy — Australia
Where hibot Fits In
hibot develops robotic maintenance and inspection systems for critical energy infrastructure — from high-voltage power transmission lines to industrial boilers and long-reach process plant assets. Our technology enables utilities to perform routine and non-destructive inspection tasks in environments that are hazardous, hard-to-reach, or traditionally requiring costly shutdowns. hibot’s core product lines — Expliner-T for live-line transmission line inspection and maintenance, Float Arm for long-reach industrial NDT, and SQUID for internal boiler and coil inspection — address critical operational challenges faced by utilities around the world: aging infrastructure, escalating safety risks, workforce limitations in high-hazard environments, and the pressure to maximize asset uptime while reducing costs.
Beyond the hardware, hibot’s robotic systems are integrated with HiBox, hibot’s proprietary digital platform designed to close the loop between field inspection and actionable intelligence. HiBox aggregates data collected by hibot’s robots, applies AI-driven analytics for defect recognition and asset health assessment, and delivers structured reporting that enables utilities to move from reactive maintenance toward predictive, data-driven asset management. The result is not just safer inspections — it is a continuously improving intelligence layer over critical infrastructure.
“Being selected for Free Electrons validates what we have been building at hibot: robotic solutions that make energy infrastructure maintenance and inspection safer, smarter, and more efficient — at scale.”
The Free Electrons program is directly aligned with hibot’s mission. As utilities manage increasingly complex grid and industrial assets with constrained resources, the combination of autonomous inspection robotics and AI-powered asset intelligence — through platforms like hibox — represents a transformative lever for operational efficiency, safety, and long-term infrastructure resilience.
Why This Matters
hibot was founded as a Tokyo Institute of Technology spinoff with a clear thesis: that dangerous, high-value inspection work in energy and industrial environments should be performed by robots, not humans. Over more than a decade, we have deployed inspection robots across power transmission lines in Europe, South America, andJapan, and developed specialized tools for complex industrial environments withpartners ranging from Terna in Italy to major oil & gas operators globally.
Joining Free Electrons gives hibot direct access to six of the world’s most forward-thinking utilities — each navigating the same core challenge: how to inspect, maintain, and optimize vast physical asset networks safely and cost-effectively in an era of energy transition and increasing grid complexity. The program’s track record of generating over USD 23 million in deals and pilots across its alumni community represents a compelling pathway toward new commercial partnerships for hibot.
This selection also strengthens hibot’s position as a global player in utility-graderobotics — not just a product company, but a strategic partner to the utilities thatpower the world.
Learn more about Free Electrons
Discover the program, the utility partners, and the startups shaping the future of the energy sector.
hibot Corp., PR team