Pliant Energy Systems Inc
Brooklyn-based developer of undulating-fin amphibious robots and wave energy converters, best known for the Velox and C-Ray platforms funded by the US Navy.
Pliant Energy Systems Inc is a Brooklyn, New York-based technology company founded in 2007 by Benjamin Pietro Filardo. The company patents and develops technologies in electricity generation from flowing water, marine robotics, propulsion, and pumping, all based on its proprietary undulating-fin mechanism — a ribbon-like flexible fin that moves in a hyperbolic wave pattern inspired by the locomotion of stingrays and millipedes.
The company's flagship robot platform is Velox, a fully amphibious robot that uses two undulating soft fins to propel itself through water as well as across sand, pebbles, snow, and ice. Unlike propeller-based systems, Velox's fins produce minimal environmental disturbance, are resistant to entanglement, and allow smooth transitions between aquatic and terrestrial terrain without reconfiguration. The same undulating-fin technology also powers the C-Ray, a newer platform capable of self-recharging its batteries by harvesting energy from water currents while stationary.
In September 2021, Pliant Energy Systems received a $4.4 million contract from the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) to mature its marine robotics platform for littoral and mine countermeasures applications. In August 2025, ONR awarded the company a further $3.1 million contract to develop C-Ray's autonomous energy-harvesting capability. The company has also received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), USDA, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Pliant Energy's technology has attracted attention for dual-use potential in stealth military robotics, ocean monitoring, and environmental sensing in fragile aquatic ecosystems where propeller-driven robots would cause unacceptable disturbance.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Velox
- Model: Velox
- Launch Year: 2018
Amphibious soft-fin robot that swims underwater and traverses land, snow, and ice using undulating ribbon fins.
C-Ray
- Model: C-Ray
- Launch Year: 2025
Autonomous amphibious robot that harvests kinetic energy from water currents to self-recharge while stationary.
Contact Pliant Energy Systems Inc
WEBSITE
https://www.pliantenergy.comPHONE
(718) 522-3962HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2007
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
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