Swarmbotics AI
"Numbers over size."
Scottsdale, Arizona defense robotics firm founded 2023; builds FireAnt and Haul ANT swarming ground robots, picked by the Army's 1st Cavalry Division in 2026.
Swarmbotics AI is a defense robotics company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded in 2023 by Stephen Houghton and Drew Watson, who worked together previously at autonomous-trucking company Embark Trucks. Houghton, a former US Marine Corps officer, was an early employee at Cruise before he headed Amazon Web Services' autonomous-vehicle and robotics business. Watson, a former CIA officer, worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Valkyrie humanoid robot program.
The company builds ground robots around an ANTS (Attritable, Networked, Tactical Swarm) concept: fielding larger numbers of lower-cost machines instead of fewer expensive ones. FireAnt is a man-portable vehicle for counter-UAS, reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare payloads. Haul ANT is a larger hybrid-electric platform for logistics and resupply. Both run on ANTSNet, an autonomy stack built on ROS 2 and JAUS, letting one operator direct several robots at once.
In February 2026, the Army's 1st Cavalry Division selected Swarmbotics AI, after the xTech Overwatch event, to develop swarming ground vehicles under the Transformation in Contact initiative, aimed at fielding hundreds of robots in maneuver and breaching runs. The Army has also tested Bradley vehicles carrying FireAnt units. Swarmbotics AI has raised over 4 million dollars from Quiet Capital, Silent Ventures, LMNT Ventures, and Soma Capital.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
FireAnt
- Model: Fire ANT
- Launch Year: 2024
60-pound attritable ground robot designed to detect, track, and engage armored targets in coordinated swarms under a single operator.
ANTSNet
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Contact Swarmbotics AI
WEBSITE
https://www.swarmbotics.ai/HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2023
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
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