Otherlab

Otherlab is an independent research and design laboratory founded in 2009 by inventor and engineer Saul Griffith, headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company operates as a technology incubator focused on robotics, advanced manufacturing, energy, and human-machine interfaces. Over its history, Otherlab has raised over $70 million in contracts from government agencies and Fortune 500 companies and has spun out 12 independent companies.

Key funding sources include DARPA, ARPA-E, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Special Operations Command. Otherlab is best known in the robotics domain for its pioneering work in soft robotics using inflatable pneumatic actuators. The lab invented Peano actuators — fabric-based pneumatic devices sewn into inflatable structures — enabling lightweight, low-cost robots fabricated from textiles and plastic rather than metal.

Notable projects include the Ant-Roach, a large inflatable walking robot partially funded by DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation program, and an inflatable robotic elephant demonstrator. The lab received $800,000 in DARPA funding for pneumatic robotic technologies. Otherlab also developed soft-robotic orthotics and exoskeletal assistive devices, targeting affordable wearable rehabilitation.

In the energy domain, the company worked on ARPA-E funded compliant-material wind systems and a solar-charged electric scooter with regenerative braking and 37-mile range. Otherlab's model is to mature frontier technologies to the point of commercial spinout rather than direct product sales, making it a unique blend of advanced research institute and startup studio in the U.S. robotics ecosystem.