Péter Fankhauser

Péter Fankhauser is the Co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics, a Swiss robotics company that develops AI-driven autonomous mobile robots for industrial applications. He holds a PhD in Robotics from ETH Zurich and has over 15 years of experience in the field. Under his leadership, ANYbotics has created the quadrupedal robot ANYmal, which is used in sectors such as Metals & Mining, Power & Utilities, Oil & Gas, and Chemicals. The company operates from offices in Zurich and San Francisco and has raised $130 million from international and Silicon Valley investors.

Péter’s career at ANYbotics began as a Robotics Software Engineer from 2016 to 2018, followed by Chief Business Development Officer until 2019, and then Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder from 2020. Before ANYbotics, he worked as a Research Intern at IHMC in Florida, developing robotic exoskeletons for paraplegics, and as a Control & Mechanics Specialist at Skybotix AG in Switzerland. He also gained experience as a Teaching Assistant at ETH Zurich, leading student projects like Ballbot Rezero, a robot balancing on a single ball, which he demonstrated at TEDGlobal.

His education includes a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich, a Master of Science in Robotics, Systems, and Control, and a Doctorate focusing on locomotion skills for legged robots in complex environments. He also attended MIT for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Tohoku University for robotics summer studies.

Péter has contributed to multiple open-source projects, including Grid Map and Elevation Mapping for robotic navigation in rough terrain. He has published research on topics such as robust rough-terrain locomotion, probabilistic terrain mapping, Free Gait software for legged robots, and reinforcement learning for single-legged locomotion.

He has received numerous awards, including EY World Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2025, Switzerland Global Enterprise Export Award 2025, Digital Economy Award 2023, EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024, Swiss Economic Award 2020, and recognition as a top digital shaper in Switzerland multiple times. Péter has also been acknowledged in “40 under 40,” student innovation awards, and international robotics and youth media festivals.

Péter’s work focuses on improving safety, productivity, and sustainability in industrial environments through autonomous robotics, positioning him and ANYbotics as leaders in AI-driven robotic solutions.

Péter Fankhauser was born in Switzerland and attended Alte Kantonsschule Aarau, where he studied Mathematics, Physics, and Sport from 2002 to 2006. During this time, he completed his Matriculation Project and received awards for the best cantonal matriculation projects issued by Pro Argovia in 2006. He also participated in international youth media festivals, receiving recognition from YOUKI, Austria in 2007.

In 2006, Péter began his professional journey as an intern at .hausformat GmbH in Aarau, where he worked on website design, graphics, videos, 3D animation, and graphical user interfaces. In 2007, he enrolled at ETH Zurich, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, which he completed in 2011. During this period, he engaged in various projects, including teaching assistance for CAD in the Robotics Study Programme “Schweizer Jugend forscht” and leading the student project Ballbot Rezero from September 2009 to June 2010. The project involved developing a robot that balances on a single sphere, where he led control, simulation, and programming, managing a team of 13 students and presenting the project in Switzerland, Germany, Scotland, India, and the United States. He demonstrated Rezero onstage at TEDGlobal in 2011.

From September 2010 to May 2011, Péter worked as a Control and Mechanics Specialist at Skybotix AG in Zürich. Between August 2011 and March 2012, he completed a research internship at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, working on a robotic exoskeleton for paraplegics. He also participated in robotics programs at Tohoku University in 2010 and an entrepreneurship and innovation workshop at MIT in 2012.

Péter completed his Master of Science in Robotics, Systems, and Control at ETH Zurich in 2012 and continued at ETH to earn a Doctorate in Robotics from 2013 to 2017. His doctoral work focused on developing locomotion skills for legged robots in challenging environments, emphasising perceptive locomotion using exteroceptive sensing for autonomous navigation. During this time, he developed open-source projects including Elevation Mapping for robot-centric terrain navigation and Grid Map for mobile robotic mapping. He also published multiple research papers, including “Robust Rough-Terrain Locomotion with a Quadrupedal Robot,” “Probabilistic Terrain Mapping for Mobile Robots with Uncertain Localization,” “Free Gait – An Architecture for the Versatile Control of Legged Robots,” and “Reinforcement Learning of Single Legged Locomotion.”

Péter joined ANYbotics as a Robotics Software Engineer in September 2016. He was promoted to Chief Business Development Officer in May 2018 and then became Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder in January 2020. Under his leadership, ANYbotics developed the quadrupedal robot ANYmal, widely used in industrial sectors including Metals & Mining, Power & Utilities, Oil & Gas, and Chemicals. ANYbotics expanded internationally with offices in Zurich and San Francisco and raised $130 million from international and Silicon Valley investors.

Péter has received multiple awards, including EY World Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2025, Switzerland Global Enterprise Export Award 2025, EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024, Swiss Economic Award 2020, Digital Economy Award 2023, and recognition as a top digital shaper in Switzerland in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He was also included in “40 under 40” and has been recognised for his contributions to student projects and innovation in robotics.

Currently, Péter Fankhauser continues to lead ANYbotics as CEO, focusing on AI-driven autonomous robots for industrial environments. His work prioritises safety, productivity, and sustainability in hazardous and complex settings. ANYbotics is a global leader in legged robotics and continues to expand applications of autonomous mobile robots worldwide.

Péter Fankhauser’s vision is to make autonomous robots useful in industrial environments where work is dangerous, dirty, or difficult for humans. He focuses on creating legged robots like ANYmal that can navigate complex and rough terrains independently. His goal is to improve safety, productivity, and efficiency while reducing human risk in sectors such as mining, oil and gas, chemicals, and utilities. Péter also aims to advance AI-driven robotics globally, ensuring robots can operate reliably in real-world conditions. He supports open-source projects to make robotic technology more accessible and to help the wider research and industrial community.

Péter Fankhauser has received multiple awards for his contributions to robotics and entrepreneurship. He was an EY World Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2025, won the Switzerland Global Enterprise Export Award in 2025, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024. ANYbotics received the Swiss Economic Award in 2020 and the Digital Economy Award in 2023. Péter was recognised as a top digital shaper in Switzerland in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He has also appeared in “40 under 40” and received awards for innovation in student projects, including TEDGlobal recognition for Ballbot Rezero.