Businesses
Advanced Lasers Could Push Industrial Robots Into Higher-Value Manufacturing
15 Sept 2026
As investment in robotics accelerates, compact femtosecond lasers could allow industrial robots to move beyond gripping, drilling and assembly into precision work across electronics, semiconductors, batteries and medical manufacturing.
Industrial robotics is entering a new phase as machines become stronger, more precise and capable of taking on increasingly complex production tasks.
According to LITILIT, a Vilnius-based femtosecond laser company, one of the next major opportunities could come from combining advanced robotics with ultrafast laser systems. The idea is simple: instead of using robotic arms mainly for gripping, screwdriving, bolting or packing, manufacturers could equip them with compact precision lasers capable of processing sensitive materials with far greater accuracy.
The timing is significant. LITILIT cites Crunchbase data showing robotics investment reached $47.4 billion in the first half of 2026, up around 80% year-on-year, while industry forecasts suggest the robotics market could expand dramatically over the next decade. A Barclays estimate cited in the release suggests the humanoid robotics market alone could grow from roughly $2–3 billion today to as much as $200 billion in an optimistic scenario.
From Basic Automation to Precision Manufacturing
Most industrial robots today are designed around repetitive mechanical tasks. They can move components, drill, weld, pack and assemble with high consistency, but the range of work they perform is still largely defined by the tool attached to the robotic arm.
LITILIT CEO and co-founder Nikolajus Gavrilinas argues that advanced lasers could change that.
Most industrial robots today are used with tools for gripping, screwdriving, bolting, drilling, packing, or similar tasks,” he said. “Once you equip the same machine with an advanced laser, it can move into a different category of work: precision manufacturing.
That shift matters because it could allow manufacturers to extract more value from existing robotic platforms instead of deploying entirely new production systems for high-precision tasks.
Why Femtosecond Lasers Matter
Femtosecond lasers operate using extremely short pulses of light.
Because each pulse lasts only a tiny fraction of a second, the laser can remove or modify material before significant heat spreads into the surrounding area. That makes the technology particularly useful for applications where even small amounts of thermal damage can affect product quality.
Potential applications highlighted by LITILIT include drilling through-glass vias in semiconductor interposers, cutting curved cover glass for foldable smartphones and marking durable traceability codes onto electric-vehicle batteries.
These are areas where traditional mechanical tools can struggle because materials are thin, fragile or highly sensitive to heat.
For manufacturers, the attraction is not simply greater precision. A laser-equipped robotic platform could potentially switch between multiple complex tasks while retaining the flexibility of industrial automation.
Size Is Still the Main Limitation
The challenge is that many femtosecond laser systems were originally developed for scientific laboratories rather than moving robotic platforms.
They can be large, complex and maintenance-intensive, making them difficult to integrate directly onto robotic arms.
LITILIT says reducing that physical footprint has been one of its main engineering priorities. According to the company, its units are approximately 1.5 to two times smaller than a typical femtosecond laser.
Gavrilinas says the company has reduced component complexity while using a modular design and a high degree of automation.
Most femtosecond lasers historically came from scientific systems,” he explained. “They can deliver strong performance, but they are often large, complex, and require periodic maintenance.
Making these systems smaller could be important because every additional kilogram or component on a robotic arm can affect movement, speed, accuracy and integration costs.
Robotics Investment Is Expanding Rapidly
The opportunity comes as automation investment continues to grow across manufacturing.
Humanoid and industrial robots are increasingly being positioned as a response to labour shortages, hazardous working environments and the need for more flexible production.
Manufacturing, logistics, agriculture and healthcare are among the sectors expected to see broader deployment.
However, much of the economic value from robotics will depend on what those machines can actually do.
If robotic systems remain limited to lower-complexity mechanical tasks, productivity gains may be concentrated in repetitive processes. Adding high-value tools such as femtosecond lasers could expand their role into more specialised production environments.
That would make robotics relevant not only for replacing manual work, but also for improving manufacturing capabilities that previously required dedicated precision equipment.
Semiconductors and Electronics Could Be Early Adopters
The semiconductor and electronics sectors are natural candidates for robotic laser integration.
Modern electronics increasingly rely on miniaturisation, thinner materials and more complex component architectures. Foldable displays, advanced packaging, semiconductor interposers and battery systems all demand extremely precise processing.
Femtosecond lasers are suited to these applications because they can work on glass, ceramics, metals and other sensitive materials without creating the same level of heat-affected zones as conventional processing methods.
Mounted on robotic systems, these lasers could also improve flexibility by allowing manufacturers to reposition the tool quickly across different geometries and production lines.
That could become particularly valuable in factories where product designs change rapidly.
LITILIT Expands Manufacturing Capacity in Vilnius
LITILIT is also preparing to scale its own production.
The company is developing a new femtosecond laser factory in Vilnius, Lithuania, with production expected to begin in October 2026.
Over the next few years, it plans to increase output to as many as 3,000 lasers per year, which it says would position the site among the highest-capacity femtosecond laser manufacturing facilities globally.
The company’s technology is based on several patented inventions developed by co-founders Kęstutis Regelskis, Nerijus Rusteika and Nikolajus Gavrilinas, in collaboration with the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology in Vilnius.
For LITILIT, the strategy is not only to make lasers more compact, but also to make them easier and cheaper to manufacture at industrial scale.
The Bigger Business Opportunity
The wider trend is about convergence.
Robotics, AI, automation and precision manufacturing are increasingly developing together rather than as separate industries.
AI improves robot perception and decision-making. Better actuators improve movement and precision. Advanced tools expand the types of work those robots can perform.
In that context, lasers become part of a broader shift from basic automation toward high-value autonomous manufacturing.
For manufacturers, the business case will depend on integration costs, reliability and whether one robotic platform can perform enough specialised tasks to justify the investment.
But if compact femtosecond lasers can be deployed reliably at scale, industrial robots could begin taking on work that was previously reserved for dedicated precision systems.
That would make the next robotics boom about more than simply putting more machines on factory floors.
It could be about giving those machines far more valuable capabilities.
About LITILIT
LITILIT is a femtosecond laser company headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. The company develops compact laser systems based on patented technology designed for easier industrial integration and scalable production.
Its new production facility in Vilnius is expected to begin manufacturing lasers in October 2026, with capacity planned to reach up to 3,000 units annually over the coming years.
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Sara Srifi
Sara is a Software Engineering and Business student with a passion for astronomy, cultural studies, and human-centered storytelling. She explores the quiet intersections between science, identity, and imagination, reflecting on how space, art, and society shape the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Her writing draws on curiosity and lived experience to bridge disciplines and spark dialogue across cultures.
