Back to school: robots learn from factory workers

Czech startup RoboTwin has developed a no-code system that lets factory workers teach industrial robots new tasks by demonstration rather than programming. Workers use a handheld sensor device to perform a task once — such as spray painting — and the system converts those movements into a reusable robot program in about a minute. The technology targets SMEs in surface treatment and manufacturing that lack specialist robotics engineers. RoboTwin has expanded to customers in Central Europe, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Canada, and secured a €2.3 million EU grant in 2025 to develop the next generation of its platform, which will use stored data to auto-generate programs based on object shape.