Ascento

Ascento (operating as Ascento AG) is a Zurich, Switzerland-based robotics company and spinout of ETH Zurich, founded in 2023 by Alessandro Morra (CEO), Miguel de la Iglesia Valls (CTO), Ciro Salzmann, and Dominik Mannhart. The founding team developed the original Ascento bipedal robot concept at ETH Zurich's Autonomous Systems Lab starting around 2018 before commercializing the technology.

Ascento's flagship product is the Ascento Guard, an autonomous security patrol robot with a distinctive two-legged, two-wheeled hybrid design. On flat terrain, the robot rolls efficiently on hub-motorized wheels mounted at the end of each leg. When encountering obstacles, it crouches and uses its spring-equipped legs to jump over them—capable of climbing stairs through repeated jumps. This design provides stability across uneven outdoor terrain.

Key specifications of the Ascento Guard:

• Top speed: 12 km/h (Pro version)
• Battery runtime: up to 8 hours per charge (self-charging)
• Sensors: LiDAR, onboard cameras, LED headlights
• Autonomy: Full autonomous operation including self-charging and route planning
• Deployment: Available as RaaS (Robot-as-a-Service) model by the hour

The Ascento Guard includes AI-powered points-of-interest checking, edge-case detection, and proprietary navigation software. Target customers include facilities managers, private property owners, industrial campuses, and event venues requiring cost-effective outdoor security patrol without human guards.

Ascento raised $4.3M in a pre-seed round led by Wingman Ventures and Playfair Capital. The company employs approximately 10 people.