Péter Fankhauser
Péter Fankhauser is the Co-Founder and CEO of ANYbotics, a Swiss robotics company that develops AI-drivenautonomousmobile 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 ChiefBusiness DevelopmentOfficer 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.
