Raffaello D’Andrea

Raffaello D’Andrea is a Canadian-Italian-Swiss engineer, academic, entrepreneur, and new media artist whose work has shaped modern robotics, automation, and autonomous systems. He moved to Canada in 1976 and later graduated from the University of Toronto in 1991 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science, receiving the Wilson Medal as the top graduating student. He earned both his Master’s degree in 1992 and his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1997 from the California Institute of Technology, where he was supervised by John Doyle and Richard Murray.

In 1997, D’Andrea joined Cornell University as an assistant professor and became a founding member of its Systems Engineering programme. At Cornell, he created the Cornell Robot Soccer Team and served as its system architect and faculty advisor, leading the team to four world championships at international RoboCup competitions. In 2001, he received the US Presidential Early Career Award for his research on complex interconnected systems.

In 2003, he co-founded Kiva Systems with Mick Mountz and Peter Wurman. The company developed large-scale autonomous warehouse robotics and was acquired by Amazon in 2012 for $775 million, becoming Amazon Robotics. In 2008, D’Andrea became Professor of Dynamic Systems and Control at ETH Zurich, where he built a research programme focused on robotics, control, and automation. His group developed experimental systems such as Cubli, the Flying Machine Arena, the Distributed Flight Array, Blind Juggler, and CyberRunner.

In 2013, he co-founded ROBO Global, which launched the world’s first robotics and AI exchange-traded fund. In 2014, he founded Verity, which builds autonomous drone systems for warehouse inventory tracking. Verity has been deployed in more than 100 warehouses worldwide and is used by companies including IKEA, Maersk, UPS, and DSV.

Alongside engineering, D’Andrea is a recognised artist. His works, including The Table, the Robotic Chair, and Flight Assembled Architecture, are held in major collections and have been exhibited internationally. He has created drone performances for Cirque du Soleil, Metallica, Drake, Céline Dion, and Justin Bieber.

D’Andrea is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. His awards include the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award and the Engelberger Robotics Award. He is also named on over 100 patents globally and continues to influence robotics research, industry, and culture worldwide.

Raffaello D’Andrea was born on 13 August 1967 in Pordenone, Italy. In 1976, he moved with his family to Canada, where he later completed his schooling. He graduated as valedictorian from Anderson Collegiate in Whitby, Ontario. He went on to study Engineering Science at the University of Toronto and graduated in 1991, receiving the Wilson Medal as the top graduating student that year. He then continued his studies at the California Institute of Technology, earning a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1992 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering in 1997. His doctoral research was supervised by John Doyle and Richard Murray.

After completing his PhD, D’Andrea joined Cornell University in 1997 as an assistant professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. At Cornell, he became a founding member of the Systems Engineering programme and created the Cornell Robot Soccer Team, which he led as faculty advisor and system architect. Under his leadership, the team won four RoboCup world championships between 1999 and 2003 at competitions held in Sweden, Australia, Italy, and Japan. His academic work during this period contributed to the development of distributed control systems and the application of semi-definite programming in control design. In 2001, he received the United States Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his research on complex interconnected systems.

While on sabbatical in 2003, D’Andrea co-founded Kiva Systems with Mick Mountz and Peter Wurman. At Kiva, he led the systems architecture, robot design, robot coordination, navigation, and control algorithm development. The company created an automated warehouse storage and retrieval system using large fleets of autonomous mobile robots. By the time Amazon acquired Kiva Systems in 2012 for 775 million dollars, the company employed over 300 people and had robots deployed in more than 30 warehouses for clients such as Walgreens, Staples, and The Gap. Following the acquisition, the company became Amazon Robotics. During this period, D’Andrea served as Chief Technical Advisor from 2008 to 2012.

In 2008, D’Andrea was appointed Professor of Dynamic Systems and Control at ETH Zurich. At ETH, he established a research programme that combined robotics, automation, and control through hands-on experimental work. His team developed a number of important robotic systems, including the Flying Machine Arena, where flying robots perform coordinated tasks such as acrobatics and construction; the Distributed Flight Array, a modular flying platform; Cubli, a cube that can jump, balance, and walk; Blind Juggling Machines; and the Balancing Cube. His work at ETH has produced a large body of academic research with a high citation record and continues to influence modern autonomous systems.

In 2013, D’Andrea co-founded ROBO Global, which launched the world’s first exchange-traded fund focused entirely on robotics and artificial intelligence. ROBO Global was later acquired by VettaFi in 2023. In 2014, he founded Verity together with Markus Hehn and Markus Waibel. Verity develops autonomous indoor drone systems for commercial use, especially for warehouse inventory tracking. Under his leadership as board chair and chief executive, Verity’s systems have been deployed in more than 100 warehouses across over 20 countries. The company’s technology has completed more than four million autonomous inventory checks and is used by major companies including IKEA, Maersk, UPS, DSV, and On. In 2023, Verity completed a 43 million dollar Series B funding round that included Qualcomm Ventures.

Alongside engineering and entrepreneurship, D’Andrea has maintained an active artistic practice. In 2001, he and Canadian artist Max Dean presented The Table at the Venice Biennale. The work later became part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada. He co-created the Robotic Chair with Max Dean and Matt Donovan, which was first shown publicly in 2006 and is also part of the National Gallery of Canada’s permanent collection. In 2011–2012, he collaborated with architects Gramazio and Kohler to create Flight Assembled Architecture at the FRAC Centre in France, the first architectural structure assembled by flying robots, now held in the FRAC permanent collection. D’Andrea has also designed drone choreographies for Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour on Broadway and for world tours by Metallica, Drake, Céline Dion, Justin Bieber, and others.

D’Andrea’s work has been recognised with many major honours. He is an international member of the United States National Academy of Engineering, an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and an inductee of the Logistics Hall of Fame. His awards include the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award in 2016, the Engelberger Robotics Award in 2015, the IEEE/IFR Invention and Entrepreneurship Award in 2008, and the Presidential Early Career Award in 2001. He has delivered widely viewed TED talks and is named as an inventor on more than one hundred patents worldwide. He continues his work as professor at ETH Zurich and as founder of Verity, contributing to research, industry, and applied autonomous systems on a global scale.

Raffaello D’Andrea’s vision is to build intelligent systems that work safely, reliably, and usefully in the real world. He believes robotics and automation should improve how people work, create, and live, while remaining understandable and trustworthy. His goal is to connect scientific research with practical engineering and long-term social value. Through education, entrepreneurship, and public engagement, he aims to develop technologies that solve real problems in logistics, manufacturing, and creative industries. He also seeks to inspire future engineers by showing that technical knowledge, creativity, and responsibility can exist together and produce systems that serve society in meaningful and lasting ways.

Raffaello D’Andrea has received wide recognition for his work in robotics, engineering, and innovation. He was inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame in 2024 for his contributions to logistics and supply chain systems. In 2020, he became an international member of the United States National Academy of Engineering and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He received the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award in 2016 and the Engelberger Robotics Award in 2015. Earlier honours include the IEEE/IFR Invention and Entrepreneurship Award in 2008 and the United States Presidential Early Career Award in 2001. His Cornell teams won four RoboCup World Championships between 1999 and 2003.