GoKawiilSalem Robotics launches at YC S26 to automate industrial inspection tasks
Salem Robotics, founded by veterans of UT Austin robotics research and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is building software that lets existing mobile robots perform hazardous industrial inspections such as radioactive contamination smears and leak detection checks. The system focuses on precise, constrained manipulation—keeping a probe normal to a surface or within a tight offset from a pipe—while accounting for kinematics, joint limits, and collisions. The company demonstrated its software running on real robot hardware in a launch video.
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Many industrial robots today have capable hardware but still require heavy manual programming or supervision to execute physically interactive tasks reliably, limiting their use in dangerous environments like nuclear or chemical plants. By solving the constrained-manipulation planning problem generically, Salem could let facilities deploy robots for inspections that currently require human workers to enter hazardous zones, improving safety and reducing labor costs.
- Salem Robotics is part of YC's Summer 2026 batch and focuses on industrial inspection automation.
- Founders bring combined experience from UT Austin robotics research and a decade at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- The core technical challenge is fast, constrained motion planning for tasks like surface wiping and leak detection near equipment.
FLIR ONE Gen 3 Thermal Camera — Industrial inspection robots lean on sensors like thermal imaging to spot leaks, hot bearings and failing connections — and the FLIR ONE Gen 3 puts that same kind of capability in your pocket. It clips onto your phone and overlays thermal data on a visible-light image, making it easy to scan equipment, electrical panels, or drafty walls yourself.
See FLIR ONE Gen 3 Thermal Camera on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: news.ycombinator.com, 2026-08-27
Published there as: “Launch HN: Salem Robotics (YC S26) – Software for industrial inspection robots”
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