The verified answer
As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies HiBot: 1 model. 1 source back the record.
Overview
HiBot is a Japanese robotics company developing snake-like robots for Inspection in confined and hazardous spaces, including pipe inspection and nuclear facility monitoring.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Robot
Technology
Capabilities
Origin
Product
Customers
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company HiBot has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1Vincotte1× joint
Most recent
- HiBot x Vincotte KiWA Robotic Inspection2023-08-04with Vincotteoperating
HiBot on the deployment map
View the global mapHiBot has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for HiBot on the DEPLOY record yet. Track HiBot to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Current leadership (3)
- Michele Guarnieri Co-Founder & CEOsince 2004-01-01secondary-verified
- Shigeo Hirose Co-Founder & Directorsince 2004-01-01secondary-verified
- Paulo Debenest Co-Foundersince 2004-01-01secondary-verified
Founders (3)
- Michele Guarniericofounderfounded 2004-01-01
- Shigeo Hirosecofounderfounded 2004-01-01
- Paulo Debenestcofounderfounded 2004-01-01
Safety record
No incidents on record for HiBot.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
HiBot in third-party press
Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Unitree Robotics10 models
- DJI7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Gobio Robot6 models
- Orbbec6 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
1 total · 1 operating
Every company HiBot has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- HiBot x Vincotte KiWA Robotic Inspection2023-08-04with Vincotteoperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1Vincotte1× joint
All 1 partnerships
open in the atlas →- HiBot x Vincotte KiWA Robotic InspectionwithVincottedeployment2023-08-04operating
Timeline
Every recorded move in HiBot’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
PartnershipHiBot x Vincotte KiWA Robotic Inspection
2023-08-04Vincotte a member of Group KiWA signed an agreement with HiBot to provide remote infrastructure inspections using HiBot robotic inspection systems including Float Arm and Soryu-C snake robots. The partnership enables robotic inspection of confined spaces and nuclear waste facilities in Europe.
Key hireMichele Guarnieri joins as Co-Founder & CEO
2004-01-01Michele Guarnieri appointed Co-Founder & CEO (current)
Key hireShigeo Hirose joins as Co-Founder & Director
2004-01-01Shigeo Hirose appointed Co-Founder & Director (current)
Key hirePaulo Debenest joins as Co-Founder
2004-01-01Paulo Debenest appointed Co-Founder (current)
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdJun 24, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is HiBot?
What does HiBot make?
Who competes with HiBot?
Who is the CEO of HiBot?
Where is HiBot headquartered?
Where does HiBot operate robots?
Is HiBot a top robotics company?
Is HiBot safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for HiBot.Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Unitree Robotics10 models
- DJI7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Gobio Robot6 models
- Orbbec6 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning HiBot from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Bombyx is being licensed for product development - Engineering at Meta
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HiBot Demos New Amphibious Snake Robot - IEEE Spectrum
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Smart floating arms - The Robot Report
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Power transmission line inspection robots - Robohub
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A Slithering Snake Robot That Can Swim Underwater With Unsettling Ease - Laughing Squid
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Ozobot, Knightscope, Hibot and Airware all get funded - The Robot Report
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Overhead Transmission Line Inspection Robots - The Robot Report
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HiBot demos new amphibious snake robot - EEJournal
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Watch This Robot Crawl on a High-Voltage Power Line - IEEE Spectrum
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Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/hibot.md
- RSS feed: /companies/hibot/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/343c649c-458d-4cde-ab29-07b2690892a6
- Revision history: /companies/hibot/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Unitree Robotics10 models
- DJI7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Gobio Robot6 models
- Orbbec6 models
Video
HiBot Official video of Expliner - Robot for inspection of very high voltage power lines.
HiBot Bolsters RaaS Business with New Funding from Innovations & Future Creation and Fuyo General Lease Scaling of its AI-based platform HiBox will allow easie
Long reach arm for confined space inspection and maintenance www.hibot.co.jp
Float Arm is hibot’s new snake manipulator, designed for long-reach applications in confined spaces. With hibot’s proprietary snake-motion control and unique se
Join us in a short virtual show with our team at our IREX2022 Tokyo booth!
This is hibot’s robotic system for inspection of industrial boilers. Conventional boilers have one head drum, which is the starting point of several water pipes
Our best wishes for a 2023 filled with success, joy and serenity!
In this video, we share highlights from our booth (E7-51), featuring live demonstrations and on-site footage of: Float Arm - including demonstrations of our up
Meet Kasun, a Mechanical Engineer at hibot working on the powerline robot project. In this interview, Kasun shares his experience leading the mechanical develo
Meet Claire, a Software Developer at hibot. In this interview, Claire talks about her role in developing the user interfaces used to connect with hibot’s robot
Meet Niel, Product Owner of Float Arm at hibot. In this interview, Niel shares his role in ensuring that customer requirements are met while developing solutio
Heat Index
Serious52/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
HiBot draws attention at the 73rd percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among other robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited public funding data for capital position assessment.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 2, 2026