Defense Robotics Startups
Geography: Asia Pacific · East Asia · South Korea
Bone AI, a Seoul-based startup, raised $12M in Series A funding in 2025 to develop autonomous ground robots for defense applications including reconnaissance, perimeter security, and logistics resupply. The company's robots use proprietary SLAM navigation and can operate in GPS-denied environments, targeting the Korean military's modernization program.
Korea's defense robotics sector is emerging from the intersection of its world-leading industrial robotics base and surging defense exports. The military already operates sentry robots along the DMZ, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has allocated increasing budgets for unmanned systems. Startups like Bone AI, Dodaam Systems (autonomous weapon stations), and LIG Nex1 (unmanned vehicles) form a growing ecosystem.
The M.AX Alliance, launched in 2025, brings together over 1,000 Korean companies in manufacturing, AI, and robotics with a target of creating 100 trillion won ($75B) in combined value by 2030. Defense robotics is one of the alliance's priority sectors, with government backing for dual-use technologies that serve both military and industrial markets.
Research this in Signals
Signals turns a topic into a sourced research record you can inspect and rerun. Your first scan is free, and this one starts with Defense Robotics Startups already loaded, so edit it or scan as is.