The Grand Challengers Podcast Episode #57

A LEGO crane, a belt and disrupting the 600 billion dollar robotics industry

Guest: Hiten Sonpal

February 17th, 2026

Overview

Every machine that lifts, digs, or hauls relies on hydraulics — a technology that hasn’t changed in over 50 years. But what if you could replace that leaky, energy-wasting oil with a belt-and-pulley system that’s three times faster, three times more efficient, and three times more durable — with zero emissions?

That’s what Hiten Sonpal and his team at RISE Robotics are doing. In Episode 57, Hiten joins Peter Marcus Bach to explore his full robotics journey — from a childhood fascination with LEGO Technic in India to building bomb-disposal robots for Iraq and Afghanistan at iRobot, designing the Roomba lawnmower, and now leading RISE Robotics as CEO, where their patented Beltdraulic™ technology is disrupting the $600 billion hydraulics industry.

Hiten takes us inside the world of robotics — what counts as a robot, why humanoid robots are far from ready, and how AI is augmenting rather than replacing skilled workers. He explains why hydraulic systems waste 70% of their energy as heat, why electrifying heavy machinery has been prohibitively expensive, and how Beltdraulic solves both problems by replacing fluid with precision-engineered belts and sealed bearings.

The results speak for themselves. RISE’s Guinness World Record-holding robotic arm lifts over 7,000 lbs fluid-free. Their military crane dropped from 1,800 lbs to 300. And their commercial liftgate saves delivery fleets $300–$1,200 per truck per day.

Hiten also shares the personal story of spending five years building a robot lawnmower at iRobot, only to have it cancelled by COVID — and how that adversity became the catalyst for his entrepreneurial career leading three companies as CEO.

Episode Teaser

What happens when you replace hydraulic oil with belts and pulleys? In this preview of Episode 57, RISE Robotics CEO Hiten Sonpal shares how Beltdraulic™ technology delivers three times the speed and efficiency of traditional hydraulics — with zero emissions. From bomb-disposal robots to a Guinness World Record-breaking robotic arm, discover how Hiten’s career in robotics is reshaping heavy machinery for a sustainable future.

Biography

“…If it’s dull, dirty or dangerous, let’s find a way to automate it using robotics …”

Hiten Sonpal is the CEO of RISE Robotics, an industrial technology company headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, that is pioneering the replacement of traditional hydraulic systems with its patented Beltdraulic™ technology. Originally from India, Hiten developed an early passion for robotics through LEGO Technic kits and taught himself programming on his father’s PC before moving to the United States to study Computer Engineering at the University of Evansville, where his senior project — a chess-playing robot inspired by IBM’s Deep Blue — won the best project award. He went on to spend 15 years at iRobot, where he contributed to shipping over 9 million units generating more than $2 billion in revenue. During his time there, he helped deploy over 1,200 bomb-disposal robots to Iraq and Afghanistan, and later led the clean-sheet design of a robot lawnmower in iRobot’s consumer division. He has since held leadership positions at Mowbot, Robin, and Electric Sheep Robotics.

At RISE Robotics, Hiten is leading the company’s mission to disrupt the $600 billion hydraulics industry with Beltdraulics, a fluid-free, belt-and-pulley-based actuation system that delivers three times the speed, efficiency, and durability of conventional hydraulics with zero emissions. Under his leadership, RISE has earned a Guinness World Record for the strongest robotic arm prototype, secured contracts with the U.S. Air Force and Army, launched a commercial liftgate product, and was named the #1 Regulation Crowdfunding campaign of 2025. Hiten holds a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Evansville and is currently pursuing an MS in Computer Science at Georgia Institute of Technology. Beyond robotics, he is a passionate drummer who grew up playing the tabla in India and continues to play the drum set to this day.

Hiten Sonpal headshot – CEO of RISE Robotics and robotics industry leader

Resources Related to the Episode

Key Companies & Technology

Robotics & AI References

  • Roomba robot vacuum cleaner – iRobot’s flagship consumer product [Link]
  • iRobot PackBot – military robot used for bomb disposal in Iraq, Afghanistan, and at Fukushima Daiichi [Link]
  • IBM Deep Blue – the supercomputer that defeated chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997 [Link]
  • Deep Blue vs. Kasparov match history [Link]
  • Crafty Chess Engine – open-source chess engine used in Hiten’s senior project [Link]
  • XBoard – GNU chess graphical interface used alongside Crafty [Link]
  • Global robotics market statistics (~$94–95B in 2024, projected ~$111B by 2030)
  • Republic of Korea – highest robot density: ~1,012 robots per 10,000 employees

Pentagon & Defense

  • RISE Robotics Guinness World Record announcement (March 2025) [Link]
    • Munitions Handling Unit / SuperJammer – Guinness World Record for strongest robotic arm prototype (7,015 lbs / 3,181.95 kg), verified March 3, 2025
  • AFWERX TACFI $3M contract for SuperJammer Vehicle [Link]
  • U.S. Air Force EWAAC ($46B acquisition contract) – referenced in RISE press materials at https://www.riserobotics.com
  • Common Lifting Device – collapsible hand-powered crane for USAF (reduced from 1,800 lbs to 300 lbs)

Commercial Applications

  • Beltdraulic Railgate 5500 launch at ATA’s TMC [Link]
  • RISE Robotics crowdfunding (#1 Reg CF campaign of 2025, $5.3M+ raised) – [Link]
  • California zero-emissions port mandate (target 2030) [Link]
  • Oil & natural gas compression pumps – future application sector
  • Marine sector – hydraulic oil-free boat systems
  • Forklifts – future application using same cylinder technology [Link]

Film & Cultural References

  • The Hurt Locker (2008 film) – depicts the life of EOD operators diffusing bombs in Iraq [IMDB Link]
  • LEGO Technic Set 8040 – the pneumatic crane set that inspired both Peter and Hiten [Link]
  • Tabla – traditional Indian percussion instrument Hiten played growing up [Link]
  • Jamshedpur, India – Tata manufacturing city where Hiten has childhood memories [Link]

Career & Education

  • University of Evansville – Hiten’s alma mater (BS Computer Engineering) [Link]
  • Georgia Institute of Technology – currently pursuing MS Computer Science [Link]
  • RISE Robotics CEO announcement [Link]
  • Colin Angle, Helen Greiner, Rod Brooks – iRobot founders/leaders who inspired Hiten [Link]
  • Vice Admiral Joe Dyer – Hiten’s mentor at iRobot [Link]
  • MVP mindset and cutting scope – recurring leadership lesson throughout the episode

Episode Chapters

(Chapters are embedded in the episode for quick access, click this to expand and view all chapters and time stamps)
  • 0:00 Intro
  • 1:59 Guest Intro and the Drumming Passion
  • 5:04 Early inspiration for robotics – Lego
  • 9:15 Moving beyond Lego
  • 11:29 The Chess Playing Robot
  • 18:55 From Chess to iRobot – seeing real-world value
  • 23:27 The rise and diversity of the robotics industry
  • 30:21 Generative AI’s impact on robotics
  • 32:36 The electric sheep and an unfortunate timing
  • 37:56 Being smarter about design for sustainability – RISE Robotics
  • 45:15 Examples of RISE’s applications
  • 51:44 RISE Robotic’s Future Plans
  • 58:17 Hiten’s reflections from advisory and leadership positions
  • 1:01:43 Q&A Start
  • 1:02:04 What does innovation mean to you?
  • 1:03:28 Key Moment, Book, Person
  • 1:05:18 Favourite childhood memory
  • 1:07:03 Biggest challenge to date
  • 1:13:18 Advice for young professionals
  • 1:14:18 What would you most like to be remembered for?
  • 1:15:32 Where can people find you?
  • 1:15:58 Final Message
  • 1:16:43 Outro

Connect with Hiten Sonpal

Related Episodes

Episode #25 – Shubber Ali
Your garden, the ‘field of dreams’ for tackling the twin crises of climate change and artificial intelligence
(Related Topics: business & tech, AI, community, entrepreneurship, robots)
Episode #52 – Makoto Kern
Feature-centric to user-centric – UX Design to navigate global challenges and the “AI Competence Mirage”
(Related Topics: business & tech, AI, human-computer interfaces)
Episode #54 – Mats Larsson
Feature-centric to user-centric – UX Design to navigate global challenges and the “AI Competence Mirage”
(Related Topics: electrification, AI, automation)

Credits