Dig Robotics
Israeli start-up whose LiDAR and ML guidance system shows excavator operators the optimal bucket path, claiming up to 30% higher performance.
Dig Robotics is an Israeli start-up that develops guidance and control technology for excavators, with the aim of closing the productivity gap between average and expert operators and, in the longer term, enabling autonomous excavation. The company was founded in October 2023 and is based in Nir Am, Israel. Its co-founders are Noam Rotem (CEO, also titled Chief Excavation Officer), Ken Gray (Chief Performance Officer), a mechanical engineer and former Global Director of Innovation at Caterpillar, and Oded Medina (Chief Scientist).
The first product is an aftermarket, real-time operator guidance system that the company says can be installed on any excavator in less than a day and that augments rather than replaces the operator. A LiDAR sensor mounted on the cab roof scans the work face; machine learning, 3D scanning and kinematic models then calculate the optimal bucket path for the current topography and update it as material is removed, adjusting for material cohesion, granularity, humidity and bucket type and size. An in-cab monitor shows the operator how the actual bucket path compares with the ideal one, including bucket fill, cut depth, angle and speed, which gamifies operator training, while site managers receive data on truck fill and cycles per truck. The system targets excavators of 35 tonnes and above and is brand-agnostic.
In a first trial on a 100-tonne Liebherr 984C at a quarry in Israel, the company reported annual fuel use falling from 50,000 to 40,000 gallons and hourly output rising by about 10 percent. A US pilot with Turner Mining Group, announced at bauma 2025, tests the system on Hitachi EX1200 and Caterpillar 374 excavators at sites in Texas and Oklahoma. Dig Robotics states that its approach can raise excavator performance and cut costs and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent, mainly by reducing the number of passes needed to reach a target.
The company received a 2024 Startup Fund grant from the Israel Innovation Authority and a pre-seed investment from Fusion VC in November 2024, with about USD 735,000 raised in total across three rounds. It was featured in Cemex Ventures' Top 50 contech start-ups list and targets construction and mining customers in North America and Europe.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Dig operator guidance system
Aftermarket LiDAR and ML system installed in under a day that shows excavator operators the optimal bucket path in real time; claims up to 30% gain.
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Contact Dig Robotics
WEBSITE
https://www.digrobotics.comHEADQUARTERS
Israel
Company Facts
Founded
2023
Primary Role
Software/Algorithm
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Middle East
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Early-Stage VC
Funding Total
-
