How ADI's Emerging Tech Hub Helps Robotics Startups Scale to Production

Analog Devices Inc. operates a cleanroom in Beaverton, Ore. This article is sponsored by Analog Devices Inc.

Robotics companies are developing new capabilities at a rapid pace, from autonomous mobile robots to humanoid systems, but keeping up with technology is only part of the challenge. The hardest step is turning a successful prototype into a commercially viable product that can be manufactured and deployed at scale.

Cameron Villone, senior product technology manager at Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), says the biggest challenge robotics startups face today is the speed at which the industry moves.

In most cases, a startup excels at adopting next-generation sensing, motion control and AI, but commercialization demands additional expertise in electronics, system integration, validation and manufacturing — demands that often stretch smaller engineering teams.

ADI is developing its Emerging Tech Hub within the Analog Garage to help robotics startups and established companies overcome these hurdles, giving them access to ADI engineers, prototyping and testing resources, and manufacturing and sourcing expertise as they prepare designs for production.

ADI was recently featured in The Race to Make AI Physical whitepaper, which explains how physical AI brings together sensing, signal conversion, perception, reasoning, control, computing and validation.

These functions must work together for a robot to perform reliably; even when a robot makes the right decision, executing it depends on accurate sensor data, timely control signals and sufficient power to drive its actuators.

Engineering requirements keep changing as a product moves from prototype to production. A prototype needs to show whether a technology can work, while commercialization requires the complete system to perform consistently under different operating conditions.

ADI describes this through four stages: Idea, Prototype, Validate and Scale. The early stages focus on developing and demonstrating the concept, validation involves testing the integrated system and optimizing the design, and scaling introduces manufacturing and supply chain requirements.

Robotics companies must secure components, coordinate production and maintain quality as volumes increase. Villone says ADI's experience in sensor development and semiconductor manufacturing supports developers with knowledge-driven guidance as they move from idea to production.

These changing demands are the gaps ADI's Emerging Tech Hub is intended to address, bringing startups and established robotics companies closer to ADI's technical teams, including engineers implementing newly released or still-in-development technologies.

Villone describes the approach as "co-development." When a company approaches the hub, the first step is establishing its current capabilities and goals, then aligning them with the hub's mission to determine what kind of collaboration makes sense.

Support depends on stage and need. A mature robotics developer might need a particular semiconductor component, another may bring a different engineering problem that prompts the hub to find internal specialists, and an early-stage startup may need broader guidance to clarify its architecture.

The hub combines three areas of support: technical expertise in robotics, control, edge AI, power and system integration; development resources such as laboratories, prototyping tools, reference designs, testing and validation; and sourcing guidance and industry connections for companies scaling production.

Villone says ADI has recruited robotics experts from across the industry, citing ADI's GMSL technology as expertise that helps developers address camera connectivity and integration — support that extends beyond component selection to how technologies fit within the wider robotic system.

The Emerging Tech Hub is still being prepared for wider external participation, with applications expected to open by the end of 2026.

Startups need flexibility to test ideas quickly and retain control of their technology, but working with a large technology company can introduce tension between speed and structure.

Villone acknowledged that some startups are reluctant to work with larger corporations because they worry about what such a relationship could mean for their business, but he sees an opportunity when intentions are clear.

ADI's interest is in enabling robotics applications with its semiconductors, while startups benefit from expertise and resources that would be difficult to develop independently. The partnership works best when both sides understand what they want to accomplish.

That is the same model ADI proposes for the Emerging Tech Hub. The company describes the relationship as collaborative, with flexible, startup-friendly engagement and startups retaining their intellectual property, allowing them to seek technical support without surrendering ownership of their innovations.

Those questions will be explored at RoboBusiness on Oct. 20 during "Robotics Startup Boot Camp Part 2: Challenges & Best Practices for Working with Corporate Partners."

Colm Prendergast, senior director and head of the Emerging Tech Hub at ADI, will join representatives from MassRobotics and WiBotic to discuss how startups pursue proofs of concept and pilots, how corporations evaluate potential partners, and how startup agility can coexist with corporate processes.

Bringing innovation to market requires engineering expertise, system validation, production planning, reliable component sourcing and industry partnerships. ADI's Emerging Tech Hub aims to connect robotics companies with the expertise and resources those goals demand.

In 2026 RoboBusiness marks its 20th year, and registration to attend is open.