The move follows the company’s earlier expansion into Tampere, Finland. Skydio said the Zurich office reflects its strategy of locating operations near leading global research institutions.
Zurich is home to institutions such as ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, which are recognized for their work in robotics and autonomous systems. The company said the location provides access to a strong ecosystem of academic and industry expertise.
“Zürich is home to one of the most dynamic robotics ecosystems in the world, where universities, startups, and global technology companies continuously exchange ideas and talent,” said Davide Scaramuzza, Professor of Robotics and Perception at the University of Zurich. “Skydio’s decision to establish an R&D presence here both reflects and reinforces this strength, bringing challenging real-world autonomy problems into close dialogue with academic research.”
Scaramuzza added that the initiative supports collaboration between research and industry. “It is encouraging to see former members of our lab contributing to this effort, and to witness the local ecosystem continuing to translate cutting-edge research into impactful aerial robotics systems,” he said.
The new office will be led by Davide Falanga, Director of Engineering for Autonomy Systems at Skydio. He brings experience from the company’s headquarters in San Mateo, California.
“Opening Skydio’s Zürich office is a huge opportunity to build our next generation of autonomous flying robots at the heart of Europe’s robotics hub,” Falanga said. “Switzerland offers an exceptional concentration of talent across perception, planning, and AI-driven autonomy.”
Falanga said the Zurich team will focus on advancing real-world drone capabilities. “I’m excited to grow a team here that can push the frontier of what drones can do in the real world,” he said.
Engineers at the Zurich site will collaborate with Skydio teams in the United States. The work will focus on multi-vehicle coordination, GPS-denied navigation and real-time decision-making.
“ETH Zurich at its core, Zürich is one of the world’s most powerful robotics hubs — and we’re thrilled as Skydio moves here,” said Roland Siegwart, Professor of Robotics at ETH Zurich. “Together with exceptional talent and world-class research, we’ll push the frontiers of aerial robotics.”
The expansion adds to Skydio’s global engineering footprint. The company said the new office will support continued development of its autonomous drone technologies.
