A small Cambridge-founded maker of low-cost bench-top robot arms, started by inventor David Sands, now owned by an Australian lab-automation business.
ST Robotics makes small robot arms that sit on a bench and are used in laboratories, education and light manufacturing. Its current range on its website is the R12 and the R17, both five- or six-axis arms. The R12 is the lighter, self-contained arm for bench-top automation, and the R17 has a longer reach and more power. Wikipedia lists other past models, including the R15 and a delta-style arm sold as the R18. The company says its arms are reliable and robust, and mentions uses such as handling delicate crops and automating laboratory and analytical processes. Low cost has long been its selling point, and Wikipedia says it sold mainly online as boxed robots through distributors.
ST Robotics describes its goal as offering practical robotic and automation solutions to meet almost any requirement. We found no longer mission statement. It was founded by David Sands, an inventor who, according to the company, conceived the robotic arm in 1982. Wikipedia traces a line of companies from Intelligent Artefacts in 1981, which made educational robot arms programmed in BASIC, through Cyber Robotics and Sands Technology, to the ST Robotics name in 1997. The company says it began attracting serious attention in 1992 and spent decades improving its software and manufacturing.
The UK link needs careful reading. The company started in Cambridge, England, and Wikipedia gives Cambridge and Princeton, New Jersey, as locations. In 2024 it was bought by SciTech Solutions of Australia, led by Christopher McCrea, a laboratory automation specialist. An April 2025 announcement said the business now runs through ST Robotics and Automation Pty Ltd, and calls ST Robotics Limited UK-based before the deal. The company's site lists contact numbers for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and says Dr Sands is helping with the transition. We could not confirm the size of any remaining UK team or an address.
Very little is published about culture. The company is small, and the only people named are the founder and the new owner. The new owner has said he plans to develop the products for process automation, artificial intelligence and education, which could change what the company needs in future. We have not invented any claims about working life.
A small robotics company like this is likely to need mechanical and electronics engineers, software and control programmers, technical support staff who help laboratories and schools set up the arms, and people in sales and customer service. If you enjoy building and programming things, this is the kind of workshop-sized business where you could see a robot from design to customer. Because ownership and structure have changed, check the company's website for its current UK operations.
Website: strobotics.com
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