The innovation that sparked Planar Motor‘s journey began in 1997 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Dr. David L. Trumper’s lab explored high precision magnetically levitated motion stages.
Building on that research, Dr. Xiaodong Lu advanced the concept at the University of British Columbia, making a breakthrough in 2011 by showing the potential for unlimited travel and the coordination of multiple movers on a single surface.
In 2016, Dr. Lu founded Planar Motor Inc. with former students Rui Chen and Kevin Xiao in Vancouver. What began as an academic vision has since grown into a global company — a story of visionary leadership, strong partnerships, and relentless innovation that is reshaping manufacturing and automation.
Traditional transport solutions such as conveyors or linear track technologies often lock manufacturers into rigid, mechanically fixed paths, making it difficult to adapt processes or add new steps. Planar Motor’s system removes those constraints.
Using its levitating “XBots,” which float a couple millimeters above “Flyways,” the company enables manufacturers to route products dynamically through production lines. This flexibility allows for faster adaptation to shifting market demands while letting the same line be reused for multiple products.
In cleanroom environments, the non-contact design is desirable because it doesn’t produce any particulate; this eliminates contamination risks posed by conventional conveyor systems. The solid state design means the routine maintenance required by conventional technologies with moving parts isn’t needed.
Unlike autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which transport goods across factory floors, the Planar Motor system is designed for compact, inside-the-machine motion. This distinction makes lines built on its system more scalable and adaptable than traditional transport technologies.
From its founding team of three, Planar Motor has grown to more than 60 employees as of 2025, expanded operations to Germany, Italy, China and Japan while serving customers in over 30 countries. The company continues to hit key product and customer milestones, sharing progress with its growing LinkedIn following.
Anchored in British Columbia, Planar Motor draws on local talent from institutions such as UBC and BCIT. That access to expertise — combined with its roots in cutting-edge academic research — has enabled the company to scale its team and culture while competing on the global stage.
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