With customized technological solutions based on robotics and artificial intelligence, Crobotic Solutions aims to significantly accelerate the adaptation and implementation of robotics into the existing business processes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Crobotic Solutions develops intuitive multimodal interfaces that enable seamless human-robot collaboration, making it fast and simple, and designed for companies looking to invest in automating their current processes, as well as users and manufacturers of robotic systems.
Currently there are more than 5 million robots worldwide. Over the last decade, the number of robots has tripled globally, and they are becoming increasingly affordable while their sensors are becoming more advanced. With the help of artificial intelligence, robotics can increase productivity, competitiveness and efficiency for businesses, while easing repetitive and physically demanding tasks for employees. Robots are now accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises, and the number of potential applications—which are still underexplored—is growing rapidly. With the development of collaborative robotic manipulators and artificial intelligence, new opportunities and applications are emerging. However, due to long adaptation times, most SMEs avoid robotics as it can temporarily reduce revenue and profit. To implement robotics in such businesses, the programming and deployment process must be accelerated and employees must be able to manage robots easily.
For this reason, Crobotic Solutions seeks to greatly accelerate the adaptation and implementation of robotics in existing business processes through customized technological solutions based on robotics and AI. Crobotic Solutions is developing an intuitive multimodal interface that enables seamless human-robot collaboration, making it fast and simple.
Simple and functional human-robot interaction largely depends on the robot’s understanding of its environment. With AI built for perception and advanced control for robot-environment interaction, it is possible to assign tasks to a robot using a voice command or demonstration. Simple commands such as “Pick all the apples you see” or “Sort the plastic bottles from manufacturer X into bin A” allow anyone to control a robot. This approach could significantly expand the use of robotics.
Our solution is designed for companies looking to invest in automating their current processes, as well as users and manufacturers of robotic systems. Investments in robotics and automation are profitable in the long term, resulting in increased productivity, reduced labor costs, and the opening of new markets for business development. In this way, small and medium-sized enterprises can remain competitive in today’s dynamic business environment. We invite you to simplify your operations, reduce costs, and achieve new levels of productivity and efficiency through robotics.
Team members
The Crobotic Solutions team consists of three members, passionate about robotics with complementary expertise. The team has known each other and collaborated for years at the Laboratory for Robotics and Intelligent Control Systems (LARICS) at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb (FER). Since September 2023, they have been actively working on ideas to launch their own startup. Within the ZICER Startup Factory program, the team successfully developed Maliq, a functional prototype of an omnidirectional educational mobile robot, and they are also working on developing new advanced ideas for a larger market through Nuqleus.
Filip Zorić is a PhD candidate at LARICS, FER, researching artificial intelligence for aerial manipulation. His research focuses on using AI and multirotor drones with robotic manipulators to maintain hard-to-reach technical infrastructure. Before FER, he worked for two years as a robotics engineer at Gideon in the robotic manipulation team. At FER, he worked for three years on the EU Horizon project AerialCORE, exploring the maintenance of power lines using multirotor drones, primarily developing teleoperation interfaces for aerial manipulators. He participated in the IEEE RAS Summer School for Multi-Robot Systems in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2022, and in July 2023, he spent a month on a research visit at the Robotics and Mechatronics Group, University of Twente, Netherlands. He received the euROBIN scholarship for young researchers and has authored one peer-reviewed paper and six conference papers.
Marko Križmančić is a PhD candidate at LARICS, FER. His research covers multi-agent and multi-robot systems, including mission planning, coordination, task allocation and management. He focuses on agent communication and applies graph theory and AI methods to establish robust communication networks. During his doctoral studies, he participated in multiple national and international projects, including the EU Horizon project WatchPlant, where he led the development of an embedded computing system for collecting plant biological measurements to assess environmental conditions. He attended the IEEE RAS Summer School for Multi-Robot Systems in Prague in 2020, winning an award for the best practical solution. In 2024, as part of the winning FER team, he participated in the international robotics competition MBZIRC in the UAE. He has authored/co-authored two peer-reviewed papers and five conference papers. He is also a licensed UAV operator and enjoys aerial photography as a hobby.
Ana Milas is a postdoctoral researcher at LARICS, FER. During her PhD, she participated in several international and national projects and robotics competitions. She conducted research at the University of Seville, Spain, on cooperation between mobile robots and UAVs. She attended the IEEE RAS Summer School for Multi-Robot Systems in Prague and, in 2023, took part in a research visit to CATEC (Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies) as part of the BEEYONDERS project, developing algorithms for autonomous exploration and object detection/mapping on construction sites. Her research interests include UAVs, autonomous systems, 2D/3D mapping and exploration and autonomous navigation with obstacle avoidance in 3D space. She is president of the Young Professionals interest group of the IEEE Croatian Section and treasurer of the IEEE Croatian Section. She has authored/co-authored four peer-reviewed papers, six conference papers and one book chapter.
Motivation for Applying and Vision for the End of the Nuqleus Program
Participation in the Nuqleus program and its specialized workshops, as well as contacts and experiences from other teams and industry, helped us reflect on aspects of our solution we had not previously considered. We also gained insights from experts across various domains—from design to writing and developing business models, to exploring different investment opportunities. In this context, we still need additional advice and support to further develop our idea and discover other potential application areas.
Our vision for the end of the Nuqleus program is to have a clearer understanding of the application areas for our solution, develop a prototype, enhance visibility, improve business development and actively work on expanding operations and securing investments. Additionally, we aim to establish contact with potential first clients and partners. Without the Nuqleus team’s support and experience, it would have been much harder to prioritize development steps and understand the importance of applying our solution as well as the size of the market where we plan to deploy our service.
