As Anthony King investigates, a Czech startup is making it easier to automate factories by allowing workers to teach robots new tasks through simple demonstrations rather than complex coding.
What if training a robot to do dirty, dangerous work on a factory floor was as easy as teaching it how to do it? Czech startup RoboTwin is doing just that, helping factory workers teach robots new skills through demonstrations.
Instead of writing complex code, a worker performs a task once and RoboTwin’s technology translates the movement into a robot program, opening the door to automation for small manufacturers.
Founded in Prague in 2021, RoboTwin builds handheld devices and no-code software that captures human movements and translates them into commands for industrial robots. The aim is to make automation faster, easier and more accessible to manufacturers who don’t have professional robot programmers.
“The robot basically copies the human demonstration,” said Megi Mezhdrekhova, co-founder and chief technology officer of Robotwin. “Even people without coding skills can transfer their know-how and experience to robots.”
Meidrehova, a mechanical engineer trained at the Czech Technical University in Prague, developed the core technology behind RoboTwin during her work in robotics research and industry. Our experience in controlling robots using AI and computer vision led us to create something practical for European manufacturers.
“Czech engineering is very traditional and focused on scientific papers,” Meidrechova said. “My visits to Singapore and Canada and other work experiences led me to focus on creating products that people can use.”
Mejdrechová’s background in manufacturing innovation
In 2021, Maidrehova participated in the Jumpstarter program and won first place in the manufacturing category. “That’s when we realized there was potential in this technology,” she said.
This led her to start RobotTwin with colleagues Ladislav Dvořák and David Polák, who shared her enthusiasm for human-robot partnerships. Maidrehova is supported by Women TechEU, an EU scheme that supports female founders of deep tech startups.
The RoboTwin team shared their results on the Horizon Results Platform, an EU-funded online showcase of innovation, which led to an invitation to the EU Startup and SME Empowerment Initiative.
This funded a trip to Hannover Messe 2025, a major global manufacturing trade fair, and opened the door to new business contacts and deals.
Through a combination of public and private investment, Robotwin has secured funding to hone its technology and expand to manufacturers in Central Europe, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Canada.
In 2025, Ms. Maderehova was included in the Forbes Czech 30 Under 30 list for her work in making robot training available to more manufacturers.
Capture natural techniques without tedious coding
At the heart of the RoboTwin system is a handheld device equipped with sensors. As workers perform tasks such as spray painting metal parts, the system records their movements and converts them into robot programs that can be reused on the production floor.
Rather than requiring expert engineers to manually code every movement, the system captures the worker’s natural techniques and translates them into precise instructions that the robot can follow.
“We started with jobs that were too ugly, dirty and unhealthy for workers to do manually,” Maidrehova said.
Thanks to the no-coding system, this process can be completed in a few steps and typically takes about a minute. For factories that produce small batches or change products frequently, this speed makes automation much more practical than traditional robot programming.
Robotics and automation in manufacturing is not new
The automotive industry is already leading the way, with approximately 23,000 new robots added to production lines in 2024. But while large companies can invest heavily, automation remains difficult and expensive for many small and medium-sized businesses.
This is where robot twins come in handy. We have supported companies in the surface treatment industry, namely powder coating, painting and polishing of metal or plastic parts for automotive factories.
“Our approach allows you to create robot programs quickly and easily, even if you are producing small batches of products,” Mejdrechová said.
For example, RoboTwin helped Dutch company RobPainting robotize painting for small and medium-sized businesses to improve quality, reduce costs, and minimize rework.
“With our device, we can teach the robot the exact trajectory it needs about the product and its surroundings,” said David Vobl, a robotics expert at Robotwin who often supports customers.
Solving skill shortages in dangerous work
RoboTwin’s systems can work with a wide range of industrial robots, including cobots designed to work safely alongside humans.
“We can bring in manipulators, painting robots, and cobots that can work alongside humans because they have sensors that let them know when to stop if someone might get hurt,” Vobl said.
RobotTwin initially focused on surface treatment on the manufacturing floor. On the manufacturing floor, tasks such as spray painting required workers to wear protective clothing and perform repetitive movements.
“These jobs are difficult to automate because they often involve many covert movements,” Maidrehova said, referring to the small adjustments and gestures that workers make instinctively.
The sector also faces a labor shortage.
“People are often dissatisfied with these jobs, and there is a shortage of workers willing to take these jobs, which is why automation is in high demand.”
Customers report that they can now create many robot programs without stopping the production line.
RobotTwin has already partnered with a number of companies, including Surfing Technology, a Czech company specializing in robotic painting solutions, and Canada’s Innovative Finishing Solutions, which is offering its technology to customers in North America.
EU support for RoboTwin continues
A €2.3 million grant from the European Innovation Council secured in 2025 will help accelerate product development and market expansion.
This funding will support RoboTwin’s next generation technology. Rather than relying solely on manual demonstrations, systems will increasingly leverage stored experience and data to automatically generate robot programs based on object geometry.
The company says this could enable automation in many manufacturing tasks that were previously too complex or costly to automate.
For Europe, technologies like robottwins can play an important role in strengthening digital sovereignty and smart industrial innovation. These help small manufacturers implement advanced robotics without the need for specialized programming expertise.
As factories become more flexible and data-driven, the ability to quickly teach robots new tasks is likely to become increasingly valuable.
Mejdrechová believes this change will make automation available to a much wider range of companies.
“Our goal is to make robot training something that workers can do themselves,” she said. “If we are successful, automation will no longer be limited to large factories with specialized technicians. It will become a tool that any manufacturer can use.”
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