Festo is a German automation company known for pneumatic, electric, and motion-control systems as well as long-running bionics and robotics research
Festo is a German industrial automation company founded in 1925 and a global leader in pneumatic, electric, and motion-control technologies. Beyond its industrial automation business, Festo has become one of the robotics industry’s most influential innovation leaders through decades of research into bionics, soft robotics, adaptive grippers, and human-robot collaboration. Through initiatives such as the Bionic Learning Network, Festo develops bio-inspired robotic systems that explore new approaches to manipulation, locomotion, and intelligent automation. Its technologies span electric actuators, servo drives, grippers, pneumatic systems, and collaborative robotics, providing key components for advanced industrial automation while helping shape the future of embodied AI and next-generation robotic systems.
At the 2025 World Robot Conference, Festo highlighted a new bionic bee, gripper systems for robot end effectors, and Festo AX software based on AI. The presentation showed how the company continues linking bionics research with practical robotics tooling and industrial automation software.
Festo was founded in 1925 in Esslingen, Germany, and has since grown into a global family-owned automation company. That long industrial base later gave it the scale to invest heavily in both core automation products and bionics-driven robotics research.
Through the Bionic Learning Network, Festo developed concepts such as the BionicMotionRobot and BionicMobileAssistant to explore safe, flexible, and human-collaborative robot systems. The company uses these projects to translate biological principles into practical automation and robotics ideas.
At the 2025 World Robot Conference, Festo highlighted a new bionic bee, gripper systems for robot end effectors, and Festo AX software based on AI. The presentation showed how the company continues linking bionics research with practical robotics tooling and industrial automation software.