AICA System
Real-time robotics control software from Swiss vendor AICA. It lets industrial robots sense force and adapt to variation, and runs the same application across robot brands through a visual node editor and a documented REST API.
What is AICA System?
AICA System is an industrial robotics software platform from AICA SA, a Swiss vendor that spun out of the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA) at EPFL in Lausanne and is now based at the Unlimitrust campus in Prilly. It addresses a specific failure of conventional automation: pre-programmed robot routines break as soon as parts shift or conditions change, and the programming work itself is complex and expensive, which the vendor says frequently doubles the cost of the hardware.
The platform has two halves. AICA Core is the real-time engine, built on ROS 2, providing position, velocity and force controllers, closed-loop force feedback, impedance control, motion generation and reinforcement learning. AICA Studio is the interface, running in the browser, where engineers assemble an application by dragging and wiring pre-built components into a graph rather than writing bespoke robot code.
Two commitments shape the product. The first is hardware independence: an application built once can be deployed across robots and peripherals from different vendors, with documented support for ABB, FANUC, KUKA, Mecademic, Stäubli and Universal Robots, plus beta support for Franka Emika, Kassow, Kinova and UFACTORY. Grippers, force/torque sensors, depth cameras and industrial PCs are covered too, and because the system is built on ROS 2 it can absorb existing ROS drivers for hardware that is not on the list. The second is extensibility: an open SDK, custom components in Python or C++, a package builder and a package registry.
The v5 release, named Enduring Eiger, rebuilt the backend in Go with a REST-compliant, OpenAPI-described API and an asynchronous event engine. That API is publicly documented through a Swagger interface and includes an MCP server endpoint, which is unusual on this segment.
Published use cases include two robots synchronised on a screw-driving task, force-controlled polishing, gearbox assembly with parts that shift in space, electric-vehicle battery disassembly under a Eurostars-backed project, and laboratory automation for chemical and pharmaceutical work. Schaeffler is named as an industrial reference. Around the product sit AICAdemy video training, a public GitHub community with an open roadmap, and support credits bundled into the licence.
What it does
- Build robotic applications visually in a drag-and-drop node graph instead of writing custom robot code
- Drive robots in real time with position, velocity and force controllers
- React to live sensor and force feedback so the robot absorbs variation in parts and conditions
- Redeploy the same application onto a different robot brand without rewriting it
- Run reinforcement-learning policies trained in simulation on real hardware
- Write custom components in Python or C++ and publish them to a package registry
- Deploy to an industrial PC for offline production use
When to use AICA System / When not to
A quick filter to help you decide if AICA System is the right fit.
When to use AICA System
- Robot integrators automating tasks where parts shift or tolerances drift, such as polishing, screwing and assembly
- Automation and control engineers who need real-time force feedback rather than rigid pre-programmed trajectories
- Industrial R&D teams prototyping robotic applications and moving them into production without a rewrite
- Manufacturers running a mixed fleet of robot brands who want to avoid hardware lock-in
- Developers and research groups deploying reinforcement-learning models onto real robot hardware
When not to use AICA System
- Buyers looking for a self-service SaaS product: there is no sign-up, no public price and no free tier
- Teams without ROS 2, Docker and Python or C++ skills, since the platform assumes a technical operator
- Organisations that need a signed privacy policy, terms of service or DPA before purchase, as none are published
- macOS-only shops needing full real-time control, which requires a Linux real-time kernel
- Anyone seeking a mobile or fully cloud-hosted tool, as the software runs on the customer's own machines
How to use AICA System
A typical end-to-end flow, from setup to results.
- Request an AICA System License from the sales team by email, as there is no self-service sign-up
- Receive a personal account on the AICA licence manager, listing your licences, keys, expiry dates and entitlements
- Install AICA Core, which runs in a Docker container based on Ubuntu 24.04, on an Ubuntu or macOS host
- Configure a real-time kernel on the host if you need the full real-time control capability
- Open AICA Studio in the browser and assemble your application as a graph of components and controllers
- Connect your robot, gripper, force sensor or camera using the matching hardware interface
- Test the application on real hardware or in simulation, within the consecutive run-time limit of the development licence
- Extend the library where needed with custom components in Python or C++, or with existing ROS drivers
- Request a Deployment Key for the target production machine
- Deploy to the industrial PC and activate offline, with no run-time limit
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuine, documented hardware independence, with a named list of supported robot brands, grippers, sensors and cameras
- Built on ROS 2, so unsupported hardware can still be reached through existing ROS drivers
- Public REST API documented through Swagger, including an MCP endpoint, which is rare in this segment
- Substantial public developer documentation, with per-brand guides, worked examples and a FAQ
- Free AICAdemy video training, a public GitHub community and an open roadmap
- Production deployments can run fully offline on an industrial PC, with support credits bundled into the licence
- Backed by EPFL robotics research and by named industrial references such as Schaeffler
Cons
- No published pricing whatsoever: no price page, no figures, no grid, everything goes through a sales conversation
- No privacy policy, no terms of service and no legal notice anywhere on the site, a real gap for a European B2B purchase
- No GDPR information, no DPA and no subprocessor list, despite selling to European industrial customers
- No free plan and no advertised free trial
- The development licence is online-only, requires an active internet connection and allows a single running instance
- macOS support is degraded, with display, networking and OpenGL limitations and no real-time capability
- Demands scarce skills: ROS 2, Docker, Python or C++ and real-time Linux tuning
Pricing & Plans
There is no permanent free plan and no advertised free trial, and AICA publishes no prices at any point on its site or in its documentation, so no entry price or currency can be quoted. Licensing is handled entirely through the sales team on request. Two commercial forms are described without figures: an AICA System License, billed annually per seat, which bundles support credits and permits online use with a limited consecutive run-time for testing; and a Deployment licence, a one-time charge per controller, activated offline for production machines. Entitlements attached to a licence determine which add-on packages and versions can be accessed. The AICAdemy training modules are the only element offered free of charge.
Data, GDPR & hosting
A consolidated view of how AICA System handles your data.
GDPR overview
There is no GDPR information of any kind on this site. The vendor never mentions the regulation, names no data protection officer, designates no Article 27 representative, offers no data processing agreement and publishes no subprocessor list. It publishes no privacy policy, terms or legal notice at all, an absence verified against the complete sitemap. The site itself runs on Squarespace with a cookie banner and Google Tag Manager active, yet no cookie policy accompanies them. AICA is established in Switzerland, outside the European Union, while selling to European industrial customers, so the processing framework has to be agreed contractually. The compliance field is left blank because the vendor neither claims nor denies compliance.
Who owns the data?
AICA publishes no terms and conditions, no privacy policy and no legal notice anywhere on its site, so no contractual clause on data ownership can be quoted. The absence was confirmed against the site's full sitemap, not merely inferred from missing footer links. What can be stated is architectural rather than contractual: AICA System runs on the customer's own hardware, inside a Docker container on a host machine or an industrial PC, so robot and production data stay on the customer's installation. A Deployment Key allows a deployed machine to run entirely offline. Ownership terms therefore have to be settled in the commercial contract, because the vendor does not publish them.
Reuse rights
No published terms or privacy policy describe how AICA may use customer data, so no reuse permission, restriction or licence grant can be reported. The vendor operates two online services that necessarily hold account data, a licence manager and a package registry, but neither is covered by a published policy. Because the software itself executes on customer-controlled machines and can be activated offline for production, operational data need not reach the vendor at all. Prospective users should expect to negotiate data reuse rights directly, as nothing is committed publicly.
Data retention & training
Hosting summary
AICA declares no hosting country and no hosting region, so neither can be listed. The reason is architectural rather than a matter of policy: AICA System executes on the customer's own machines, inside a Docker container on a host computer or on an industrial PC such as a Siemens SIMATIC or a Beckhoff unit. Robot and production data therefore stay on the customer's installation, and a Deployment Key lets a production machine run entirely offline with no link to vendor servers. Two vendor-operated online services do exist, a licence manager and a package registry, and the development licence is online-only, meaning it checks in while AICA Studio is running; the hosting arrangements for those services are not documented. One confusion is worth avoiding: the marketing site runs on Squarespace behind a United States anycast address, which describes where the website is served from and says nothing about where customer or robot data lives.
Things to keep in mind
Risks and trade-offs to weigh before adopting AICA System.
- No legal documentation at all: no terms to read before buying, no privacy policy, no legal notice, an absence verified against the full sitemap
- No GDPR information from a vendor established outside the European Union yet selling to European industry, so the processing framework must be negotiated contractually
- The development licence is online-only and single-instance, which may not match how a team actually works
- Total cost is unpredictable without a quote, since it scales with both seats and deployed controllers and no grid is published
- Licence entitlements gate access to certain packages and versions, so the exact scope of an offer needs checking
- Several robot brands are still marked beta, which should be confirmed before committing them to production
- The vendor claims no safety certification or machinery standard of its own, so compliance of the robotic cell remains the integrator's and the operator's responsibility
Setup & Integrations
Technical difficulty
High, and openly so. There is no self-service path: a licence must first be obtained from sales. Deployment then assumes Docker, ROS 2, an Ubuntu or macOS host and, for full real-time control, a real-time Linux kernel. Installation guides, per-brand hardware guides and worked examples are public, and AICAdemy training plus bundled support credits cushion the learning curve. The vendor frames it as a progression, expecting a customer team to reach autonomy after roughly three months and to scale over the following year. This is engineering work for technical staff, not a tool for a non-technical user.
Deployment
Integrations
Behind AICA System
Fundraising
Social
Resources
All the official URLs gathered for verification and reference.
Frequently asked questions
Which robots does AICA System work with?
What does AICA System cost?
Is there an API?
Which operating systems are supported?
Can it run offline?
Can I write my own components?
Which peripherals are supported?
What training and support are available?
Does AICA publish a privacy policy or terms of service?
Is customer data used to train AI models?
Should you pick AICA System?
AICA System is a technically serious product with an unusually honest engineering story behind it. The claim that matters is hardware independence, and unlike most vendors making it, AICA backs it with a named, public list of supported robot brands, grippers, force sensors, cameras and industrial PCs, plus a ROS 2 foundation that lets teams reach hardware the list does not cover. The public REST API, documented through Swagger and including an MCP endpoint, is a genuine differentiator on a segment where control software is usually a closed box. Add free video training, a public roadmap and a substantial developer documentation set, and the impression is of a vendor that expects its customers to become independent rather than dependent.
Two reservations deserve weight. The first is commercial opacity: nothing about pricing is public, and the two-licence structure, an annual per-seat development licence plus a one-time charge per deployed controller, means total cost depends on both team size and fleet size with no way to estimate it beforehand. The second is more serious and harder to excuse. The site publishes no privacy policy, no terms of service and no legal notice at all, and says nothing about the GDPR, data processing agreements or subprocessors. For a Swiss vendor selling to European industrial customers, that is a conspicuous gap, and every data question will have to be settled in the contract.
This is a tool for an equipped engineering team, not for a buyer seeking a turnkey solution. Where the application involves variation that rigid programming cannot absorb, and where ROS 2, Docker and real-time Linux are already familiar ground, AICA System is a credible and well-documented choice. Ask for the legal paperwork early.
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