Robotics Design Inc.
Robotics Design Inc. is a Montreal-based Canadian company that designs and builds modular robots and deployable infrastructure systems.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Robotics Design Inc. is a Canadian robotics and engineering company founded and incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997. Its work centers on modular robotic systems and specialized equipment intended for industrial, infrastructure-maintenance, and emergency-deployment applications. The company is associated with the ANAT technology platform, a family of robotic and ergonomic systems developed for tasks in difficult, hazardous, or physically demanding environments. The company introduced its first ANATROLLER robot, the ARI-100, in 2003. The machine was designed primarily for industrial duct cleaning, offering a remote or mechanically assisted approach to work inside ventilation systems. In 2010, the French duct-cleaning company Kel'air, based in Bordeaux, acquired an ANATROLLER ARI-100, making it the first unit of the type reported to enter the European market. Robotics Design's ANAT technology was also nominated for the 2010 Manning Innovation Awards. Robotics Design expanded beyond duct-cleaning robots through its Anatergoarm line of portable and ergonomic robotic arms. The TMA-500, described as the company's first portable Anatergoarm model, was deployed in 2010 at Hydro-Québec's Robert-Bourassa generating station for work associated with breaking repairs on generating units. The system subsequently received the IRSST Work Health and Safety Innovation award at the 2011 innovation awards organized by ADRIQ and its partners. Another model, the AEA-15, was a manually operated arm developed in collaboration with Michel Dallaire Design Industrielle. It won a gold medal at the 31st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2015 and was also identified as a finalist in IDM. The company has also contributed modular docking technology to BIXI Montréal, the public bicycle-sharing system. Robotics Design's modular docking station was used by BIXI Montréal, which Time magazine ranked as the nineteenth-best invention of 2008. In addition, the company developed the Automatic Deployable Container, a deployable container-based structure intended to support rapid construction of housing, hospitals, and other buildings. This work illustrates the breadth of the company's engineering activities, extending from mobile industrial robots to modular public infrastructure and rapidly deployable structures. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about the company's ownership, management, finances, current operating status, and present product portfolio. Robotics Design is therefore best characterized from the available record as a privately held Canadian engineering and robotics brand with expertise in modular robotic platforms, industrial maintenance equipment, ergonomic manipulation systems, and deployable infrastructure.
History
Robotics Design Inc. was founded and incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1997. The company developed a business around modular robotics and engineered systems for specialized industrial and infrastructure applications. Its publicly documented work includes mobile robots for duct cleaning, ergonomic robotic arms for heavy or repetitive maintenance tasks, modular docking systems for bicycle sharing, and deployable structures for emergency or rapid construction. A major early product milestone came in 2003 with the launch of the ANATROLLER ARI-100. The robot was designed mainly for industrial duct cleaning, a task that can require access to confined or difficult-to-reach ventilation spaces. The product later achieved an early European deployment when Kel'air, a French duct-cleaning company based in Bordeaux, acquired an ARI-100 in 2010. The same year, the company's ANAT technology was nominated for the Manning Innovation Awards, providing external recognition of its technical approach. Robotics Design's Anatergoarm systems represented a related effort to improve the safety and ergonomics of industrial work. The TMA-500, identified as the first portable Anatergoarm model, was deployed in 2010 at Hydro-Québec's Robert-Bourassa generating station. It was used for breaking unit repairs, where a portable arm could assist with physically demanding work. In 2011, the TMA-500 received the IRSST Work Health and Safety Innovation award at the twenty-first innovation awards organized by ADRIQ and its partners. The company also worked on the AEA-15, a manually operated Anatergoarm developed in collaboration with Michel Dallaire Design Industrielle. The system won a gold medal at the thirty-first International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2015 and was listed as a finalist in IDM. These distinctions reinforced the company's profile as an applied engineering developer rather than a mass-market consumer robotics brand. Outside industrial robotics, Robotics Design developed a modular docking station used by BIXI Montréal. BIXI Montréal was recognized by Time as the nineteenth-best invention of 2008, bringing wider public attention to a technology associated with the company's modular infrastructure work. Robotics Design also developed the Automatic Deployable Container, a deployable structure intended to enable quick construction of housing, hospitals, and other buildings. The concept broadened the company's activities into emergency-response and rapidly deployable infrastructure. The available reference material does not establish the company's current ownership, executive team, financial performance, official website, or operational status. Consequently, the documented history supports a description of Robotics Design as a Montreal-origin engineering company whose principal public milestones involve the ANATROLLER, Anatergoarm systems, BIXI docking technology, and the Automatic Deployable Container.
- 2015
AEA-15 receives Geneva gold medal
[1]The AEA-15 Anatergoarm won a gold medal at the thirty-first International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.
- 2011
TMA-500 wins work-safety innovation award
[1]The TMA-500 received the IRSST Work Health and Safety Innovation award at ADRIQ's twenty-first innovation awards.
- 2010
First reported European ANATROLLER deployment
[1]Kel'air of Bordeaux acquired an ANATROLLER ARI-100, reported as the first unit in the European market.
- 2010
TMA-500 deployed at Robert-Bourassa generating station
[1]The portable TMA-500 Anatergoarm was deployed at Hydro-Québec's Robert-Bourassa generating station for breaking unit repairs.
- 2008
BIXI Montréal docking system receives public recognition
[1]BIXI Montréal, using Robotics Design's modular docking station, was named by Time as the nineteenth-best invention of 2008.
- 2003
Launch of the ANATROLLER ARI-100
[1]The company launched its first ANATROLLER robot, the ARI-100, for primarily industrial duct-cleaning work.
- 1997
Company founded and incorporated in Montreal
[1]Robotics Design Inc. was founded and incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Products and positioning
Specialized engineering and robotics provider focused on modular systems for industrial maintenance, ergonomic work assistance, public infrastructure, and rapid deployment.
Industrial duct-cleaning robot · 2003
ANATROLLER ARI-100
The ARI-100 was Robotics Design's first ANATROLLER robot, launched in 2003. It is an industrial robot intended primarily for duct cleaning. Its documented use reflects the company's focus on mechanizing maintenance work in confined or difficult-to-access ventilation environments. A unit acquired by French company Kel'air in 2010 was reported as the first ANATROLLER to reach the European market.
Portable ergonomic robotic arm · 2010
Anatergoarm TMA-500
The TMA-500 was described as the first portable model in the Anatergoarm family. It was deployed in 2010 at Hydro-Québec's Robert-Bourassa generating station for breaking unit repairs. The system was subsequently recognized with the IRSST Work Health and Safety Innovation award, reflecting its intended role in reducing physical strain and improving safety during demanding industrial maintenance operations.
Manual ergonomic arm
Anatergoarm AEA-15
The AEA-15 is a manually operated Anatergoarm developed in collaboration with Michel Dallaire Design Industrielle. The product was designed to assist human operators with physically demanding manipulation tasks. It won a gold medal at the thirty-first International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2015 and was also identified as a finalist in IDM.
Bicycle-sharing infrastructure · 2008
BIXI modular docking station
Robotics Design developed a modular docking station used by BIXI Montréal, the public bicycle-sharing system. The docking technology formed part of the physical infrastructure supporting bicycle storage and access. BIXI Montréal was recognized by Time as the nineteenth-best invention of 2008, giving the system and associated docking technology prominent public visibility.
Deployable infrastructure
Automatic Deployable Container
The Automatic Deployable Container is a deployable structure concept intended for rapid construction of housing, hospitals, and other buildings. It extends Robotics Design's modular engineering approach beyond mobile robots and industrial arms into emergency, humanitarian, and other situations requiring quickly installed built space.
Brand decisions
2010
Deployment of the TMA-500 AnatergoarmProduct launchBackground
Industrial generating-station maintenance included physically demanding repair work that could benefit from portable ergonomic assistance.
Action taken
The company deployed its first portable Anatergoarm model, the TMA-500, at Hydro-Québec's Robert-Bourassa generating station.
Aftermath
The system received the IRSST Work Health and Safety Innovation award in 2011.
2003
Launch of the ANATROLLER ARI-100Product launchBackground
Robotics Design was developing modular robotic systems for specialized industrial work, including duct maintenance.
Action taken
The company introduced the ARI-100 as its first ANATROLLER robot for primarily industrial duct-cleaning applications.
Aftermath
The product later entered the European market through a 2010 acquisition by the French duct-cleaning company Kel'air.
Recent events
- 2015
AEA-15 wins gold at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva[1]
Other
The manually operated Anatergoarm AEA-15 won a gold medal at the thirty-first International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.
- 2011
TMA-500 receives an occupational health and safety innovation award[1]
Other
The TMA-500 won the IRSST Work Health and Safety Innovation award at the twenty-first innovation awards organized by ADRIQ and its partners.
- 2010
ANAT technology nominated for the Manning Innovation Awards[1]
Other
Robotics Design's ANAT technology received recognition as a nominee for the 2010 Manning Innovation Awards.
- 2010
Kel'air acquires an ANATROLLER ARI-100 for the European market[1]
Product launch
French duct-cleaning company Kel'air acquired an ANATROLLER ARI-100, reported as the first unit of the robot to enter the European market.
- 2010
TMA-500 deployed at Hydro-Québec's Robert-Bourassa generating station[1]
Product launch
Robotics Design's first portable Anatergoarm model was deployed for breaking unit repairs at the Robert-Bourassa generating station.
- 2008
BIXI Montréal docking technology recognized by Time[1]
Other
BIXI Montréal, which used Robotics Design's modular docking station, was ranked by Time as the nineteenth-best invention of 2008.
- 2003
Robotics Design launches its first ANATROLLER robot, the ARI-100[1]
Product launch
The company introduced the ANATROLLER ARI-100, an industrial robot primarily intended for duct-cleaning applications.
Sources1 sources
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