As city skylines reach higher, the appearance of a building is defined by its facade, particularly its glass curtain walls. Because these glass surfaces become covered in dust, exhaust, and rainwater streaks over time, regular cleaning is essential. However, cleaning at heights of dozens of stories remains a task largely performed by humans. The most common method involves workers suspended by ropes or gondolas lowered from the roof, which is considered a high-risk job due to the constant danger of falling from such heights.

With the rapid expansion of e-commerce and smart manufacturing, robots are increasingly taking over the task of picking and moving items in warehouses and on production lines. The gripper, the device at the end of a robotic arm that physically grasps objects, represents the largest segment of the robot end-effector market, which is growing at a high annual rate of around 10%. In logistics, in particular, the ability to perform "flexible grasping"—quickly and safely picking up a vast array of items (SKUs) with varying shapes and packaging—has emerged as a key challenge for automation.

Legged mobile robots, including quadrupedal robots, are rapidly becoming essential workers in industrial settings. Capable of navigating stairs and rough terrain that are difficult for wheeled robots, and entering disaster zones or industrial plants that are hazardous for humans, their range of applications is expanding quickly—from inspecting steel mills, power plants, and oil facilities to construction site monitoring, security patrols, disaster rescue, and logistics.