SOLSKIN ADAPTIVE SOLAR FACADE BY ZURICH SOFT ROBOTICS

Solskin by Zurich Soft Robotics is pioneering adaptive photovoltaic facades that use soft robotics and AI to optimize solar energy and shading in real time.

“The Innovation Booster Energy Lab is a program tailor-made for startups—simple, efficient, and capable of enabling the next step toward market entry.”

Alexander Züst

Co-Founder & Head of Business, Zurich Soft Robotics GmbH

Based at Switzerland Innovation Park Central, Site of Park Zurich, Zurich Soft Robotics GmbH, an ETH Zurich spin-off, is transforming how buildings interact with light, heat, and energy. Their flagship product, Solskin, is an adaptive photovoltaic façade system that combines solar generation with automated shading, powered by soft robotics and AI.

Solskin tracks the sun and intelligently shades interior spaces, making it the first movable photovoltaic façade of its kind. This innovation allows Solskin to generate up to 40% more electricity and reduce a building’s cooling needs by as much as 80%.

In the current energy crisis, building owners and architects are searching for ways to lower costs and integrate photovoltaics in an architecturally appealing manner—Solskin offers exactly that.

Zurich Soft Robotics GmbH was founded in 2022, and the Solskin brand was registered that same year. The startup secured CHF 1.5 million in financing to enter the market in Q3 2023, and its first major project has already been confirmed. In 2023, Solskin won the Watt d’Or—the national award for groundbreaking energy projects.

The Innovation Booster Energy Lab provided some of the initial funding the startup received after its founding. That support helped them create professional marketing materials. Both the funding and the Energy Lab’s valuable network were extremely helpful for Zurich Soft Robotics during its early months. As a member of Park Central, the startup hopes to build a broad network so that Solskin will eventually be included in its partners’ offerings and accessible to a wide audience.

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