sewts

# sewts: Automating the Unautomatable

sewts is a Munich-based deep-tech startup that uses artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotics to automate the handling of deformable materials—a task previously impossible for industrial robots.[1][4] Founded in 2019, the company has developed proprietary software that gives robots human-like perception, enabling them to grasp and process soft, malleable materials like textiles, cables, and towels with precision and adaptability.[1][2]

High-Level Overview

sewts solves a critical gap in industrial automation: while robots excel at handling rigid materials like metals, they have historically failed at manipulating soft, deformable objects. The company's mission is to simplify complex manual labor into streamlined automation by equipping robots with perception capabilities that allow them to predict material behavior in real-time.[2][4]

The company targets the industrial laundry sector as its initial market, where labor shortages and operational inefficiencies create urgent demand. sewts launched its first commercial product, sewts.VELUM, in 2022—a robotic cell designed to automatically pick crumpled towels and feed them into folding machines at human-like speed.[2] The industrial laundry market alone represents approximately €100 billion in annual global revenue, providing substantial runway for growth.[2] Beyond laundries, sewts envisions expanding automation across the entire textile and clothing production spectrum, positioning itself as a leader in what investors call "physical AI"—the automation of complex, physically demanding tasks previously requiring human labor.[2]

Origin Story

sewts was founded in 2019 by Alexander Bley (CEO & Co-Founder), Tom Doerks (Co-Founder and CTO), and Till Rickert (Co-Founder and CPO).[6] The company emerged from recognition that the textile and garment industry faced mounting labor shortages and supply chain vulnerabilities, yet lacked automation solutions for handling soft materials.[5]

The breakthrough came through combining three disciplines: artificial intelligence, robotics, and material simulation. Rather than attempting to mechanically force soft materials into rigid gripping patterns, sewts developed algorithms that predict how textiles will behave during handling, allowing robots to adapt their grip dynamically.[1][2] The company achieved early traction by launching VELUM in 2022 and completing its first commercial delivery in November 2023, generating "very strong market demand" according to investors.[2] This rapid path from founding to market-ready product demonstrates both technical capability and commercial acumen.

Core Differentiators

AI-Driven Perception & Prediction

sewts' core innovation is its proprietary control and image processing software that uses Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and classical image processing to analyze material behavior in real-time.[1][5] The system combines 2D and 3D camera data from IDS Imaging Development Systems, leveraging the high resolution of 2D imaging with the precise depth data of 3D cameras to create adaptive robotic responses.[5]

Hardware-Software Integration

Unlike pure software plays, sewts builds complete robotic cells combining commercial robots, grippers, and cameras with proprietary AI software.[3] This integrated approach allows the company to optimize the entire system for specific applications—VELUM, for instance, handles all towels up to 1×2 meters with minimal reconfiguration.[3]

Market-First Approach

Rather than pursuing abstract robotics research, sewts targeted a specific, high-value market segment (industrial laundries) where the problem was acute and customers were ready to adopt solutions.[2] This focus enabled rapid commercialization and real-world validation of the technology.

Scalability Across Materials

While launching in textiles, the technology's underlying principles—predicting deformable material behavior—apply across cables, fabrics, and other soft goods, creating multiple expansion vectors.[1][4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

sewts operates at the intersection of two powerful trends: the robotics automation wave and the physical AI movement. As labor shortages intensify across developed economies and manufacturing reshores to Europe, the ability to automate previously "impossible" tasks becomes strategically valuable.[5] The company is riding growing recognition that AI's next frontier lies not in digital tasks but in physical manipulation—what investors describe as "freed up human capital" becoming "one of the biggest productivity drivers in the next decade."[2]

The timing is particularly favorable for textile automation. The industry faces simultaneous pressures: labor costs in Europe, supply chain fragmentation, sustainability concerns around overproduction, and equipment shortages.[5] sewts' solution directly addresses these pain points while supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals around responsible consumption and local manufacturing resilience.[3]

Beyond commercial impact, sewts influences the broader robotics ecosystem by demonstrating that specialized AI—refined for specific physical domains rather than general-purpose—can unlock automation categories previously considered intractable. This validates the "physical AI" thesis and attracts capital to similar ventures.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

sewts has successfully transitioned from deep-tech startup to commercial operator with paying customers. The immediate challenge is scaling VELUM production and penetration within industrial laundries while proving unit economics and retention. Longer-term, the company's ambition to "complete automation of clothing production" suggests expansion beyond laundries into garment manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics.[4]

The company's trajectory will be shaped by three factors: (1) whether VELUM achieves the throughput and cost targets needed for rapid adoption, (2) how quickly sewts can extend its AI platform to adjacent textile applications and materials, and (3) whether competitors—particularly well-funded robotics firms—can replicate the approach. Given the technical depth required and sewts' first-mover advantage in deformable material handling, the company appears well-positioned to establish durable competitive moats.

sewts exemplifies a broader shift in European deep-tech: companies that combine fundamental AI research with pragmatic market focus, targeting industries with acute labor constraints and high willingness to pay. If the company executes on scaling, it could become a defining player in physical AI and reshape how industrial manufacturing approaches automation.