Burnaby’s Rigid Robotics has been named one of three grand winners in a global mining innovation challenge backed by Hitachi Construction Machinery and Founders Factory.
The B.C. company won the Smarter Machines category in the inaugural LANDCROS Innovation Studios Mining Challenge, an open innovation program created to identify startups developing technologies for the future of mining.
The challenge attracted 135 startup applicants from around the world between November 2025 and January 2026, before narrowing the field to 10 finalists. Those finalists pitched in Brisbane, Australia, on April 16 before a panel of judges that included external industry experts.
Rigid Robotics was selected as the winner in the Smarter Machines category for its work applying artificial intelligence to mining equipment. In its announcement, Hitachi described the company’s technology as “AI that understands shovel operation,” supporting operator augmentation today and autonomous excavation tomorrow.
According to Mining Beacon, the win gives Rigid Robotics a chance to work with Hitachi Construction Machinery to broaden commercialization of its automation technology, while also gaining exposure to Founders Factory’s investor network.
Rigid Robotics has built technology that helps mine sites improve productivity in loading operation. Its platform aims to deliver actionable guidance to operators today while creating the foundation for more autonomous excavation in the future.
Rigid Robotics beat out another Vancouver company, Green Edge Computing Corp., also known as GECCO, and Israel’s Dig Robotics in the Smarter Machines category. The final pitch was judged by a 6-person panel from Hitachi Construction Machinery, Chrysalix VC, Rio Tinto, and Founders Factory.
The other grand winners were U.K.-based IntelliSense.io, which won the Smarter Mine Sites category, and Australia’s Clear Carbon, which won the Low Impact & Sustainable Mining category. Hitachi said it plans to explore collaboration opportunities with all three winners.
Rigid Robotics’ CEO, Mehran Motamed, said in a LinkedIn post that “this recognition affirms the strength of the product, validation in live production environments, and the real-world relevance of the problem we are solving.”
Hitachi Construction Machinery mining business president Eiji Fukunishi said the global Mining Challenge was launched to “co-create the future of mining together with outstanding start-ups from around the world.”
“As a global mining solutions provider we believe that innovation is not something we can achieve on our own,” Fukunishi said. “It must be built openly, across borders, industries and cultures.”
Fukunishi said the challenge’s three themes—Smarter Machines, Smarter Mine Sites, and Low Impact and Sustainable Mining—are grounded in urgent challenges facing mining customers, mine sites, and the industry as a whole.
For Rigid Robotics, the award adds global validation to its work in mining automation. It also highlights British Columbia’s growing presence in mining technology, with two Vancouver-area companies—Rigid Robotics and GECCO—named finalists in the same category of a competition focused on smarter, safer, and more sustainable mining.
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