After establishing a robotics ecosystem, leading innovators from Norway’s capital are calling for more open access to risk capital so that they can take the next step in advancing technology.
When it comes to tech startup success, Norway’s credentials are unique when compared to counterparts in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Gothenburg or even Helsinki. Over time, Oslo’s strong industrial and maritime traditions have transitioned to focus on business agility and tech disruption.
In turn, academic institutions and startup incubators have looked to capture the momentum, fostering a wave of budding entrepreneurs and innovators. The final ingredient to this mix has been an inherent drive to target tech towards societal good.
The culmination of all the above, through the lens of robotics, is a host of businesses applying automation to industrial, ethical and social challenges.
“The tech culture here is pragmatic,” says Knut Sandven, CEO and co-founder of Soniar. “We test things early, we talk to users and we think long-term. It’s a good fit for robotics, which is all about systems integration, reliability and safety.”
Sonair fits quite purposefully into the ethical, societal category when it comes to robotics development, with a chief aim of helping robots and humans to coexist more safely.
Sandven pinpoints the overarching strengths and weaknesses that shape Oslo’s robotics’ cohort at present: “The country and city are still underdogs in robotics, for sure. But we punch above our weight in deep tech, especially in sensors, autonomy and embedded systems. Our strength lies in turning complex technologies into practical, industrial-grade solutions.”
Another company helping to land that punch – albeit from the other, more industrial angle – is agricultural enabler, Saga Robotics. CTO and co-founder Lars Grimstad agrees with Sandven’s summary of this rising sector machine: “The robotics community is fairly small, but there are still a lot of cool and innovative companies. Most people here are comfortable around technology, digital skill levels are high and the receptivity across sectors to new solutions suits the Norway-robotics crossover.”
Scaling to safety
Sonair was founded in 2022 as a spin-out from cutting-edge research in ultrasound and signal processing. Merging roots from medical and offshore backgrounds, early developments culminated in May 2024 through the launch of the company’s first 3D ultrasonic sensor for mobile robots operating in human environments.
“Then, in the summer of 2025, we launched ADAR commercially,” Sandven says. “ADAR is the world’s first compact, soon-to-be-certified 3D safety sensor based on ultrasound in air. It gives robots a new kind of spatial awareness, using sound instead of light, and performs reliably even in complex, unpredictable spaces like warehouses, hospitals or airports.”
Again, this blending of industrial application through the safety and reliability lens was a seamless evolution, aided by Norwegian innovation.
“ADAR gives robots the ability to see in 3D using sound. It acts like a virtual safety shield, helping machines detect people, objects and obstacles in real time with a wide field of view,” adds Sanden.
This matters because robots increasingly operate in public spaces and traditional safety sensors weren’t built for this level of scale.
“I’d say robotics is no longer novel, but robot safety at this scale still is,” says Sanden. “There’s a wave of automation coming in warehouses, healthcare and logistics, and safety is the bottleneck. Everyone’s looking for ways to reduce risks without compromising performance. That’s where we come in.”
From novel to normal
Alongside warehouses, healthcare and logistics, another identified area for robotic intervention is in agriculture, where Saga Robotics is thriving. Just like Sonair, however, it has been on a journey through other realms and developments to reach this particular application.
Grimstad tells Computer Weekly: “We are a spin-out of a research group at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, just outside Oslo. We started the company in 2016 after working on the technology for a couple of years in academia. Our goal was always to get our robots out to growers, but for the first few years we were mainly making agricultural robots for universities and research institutions, while at the same time working on our core technology.
“In 2020, we got investors onboard and started focusing on selling to growers. Today, our autonomous robots operate in strawberry and wine grapes across the UK and US, while Norwegian growers are also very open to the technology.”
Norway is producing more robotics and autonomy startups than ever before, and with the right global partnerships, we can absolutely lead in this next era Knut Sandven, Soniar
Saga Robotics’ proposition focuses on providing timely, regular UVC light, reducing the need for chemicals during the growing process. The company then shares critical data to inform more strategic business decisions.
Grimstad echoes Sandven in detailing the “novel” nature of this kind of application at such a broad scale: “Certainly, on farms it’s novel, but through the past couple of years, it has been taking greater and greater steps towards normal.
“Some of our competitors aim to automate the traditional tractor, which can make a lot of sense, but at Saga our focus has been on the new approaches that robotics enable. We have put a lot of effort into making sure the autonomy is robust and uptime is high, and that the fleet is easy to use.”
A key node in Europe’s robotics landscape
Robotics technologies more generally are becoming more and more innovative each year, making Oslo’s exposure to – and utilisation of – them an inevitability. The acceptance of new tech is there. The desire to channel new tech to both industrial and social uses is there.
Perhaps the only element left with room for improvement – and that would take the sector to the next level – is access to capital.
Grimstad says: “Access to risk capital and scaling funding isn’t great here. And that’s a shame, because we want to create an environment that will support the cool and innovative robotics companies looking to grow.
“Agriculture serves as a good example of what can be achieved when the mission and innovation is supported properly. For a decade, self-driving agricultural robots have been said to be ‘about two years away’. Now, they are actually here, generating real value for growers. The market is ready, and there will be countless others like it.”
Sandven agrees: “What’s missing is volume – both in terms of capital and market access. But that is changing. Norway is producing more robotics and autonomy startups than ever before, and with the right global partnerships, we can absolutely lead in this next era.
“We want to help start a wave of robot builders that move faster, take on bolder use cases and scale safely. In the next three-to-five years, we can then expect Norway to become a key node in Europe’s robotics innovation landscape. Not the largest, but one of the most technically credible.”
