Polymath Robotics :: Autonomous Development for Heavy Equipment Used in Agriculture, Mining, Construction, Logistics & Defense

Polymath Robotics is a San Francisco-based robotics software company founded in 2021 (Y Combinator S22) that develops general-purpose autonomy software for off-highway and industrial vehicles. The company aims to simplify autonomous development for heavy equipment used in agriculture, mining, construction, logistics, and defense by providing modular, software-first tools that reduce complexity, development time, and costs compared to traditional custom autonomy stacks.

Polymath’s core offering is a modular autonomy platform that provides foundational capabilities such as autonomous navigation, path planning, obstacle detection and avoidance, vehicle dynamics control, and safety systems. Their flagship product, Caladan, is an autonomy agent accessible via REST API and observable in browser-based simulation, allowing developers to quickly test and deploy autonomy without heavy infrastructure setup (no ROS, Gazebo, or Linux required for basic use).

The platform is designed with a software-first, modular approach, enabling users to select only the features they need. It supports rapid integration with existing vehicles and focuses on practical, production-ready autonomy rather than experimental general-purpose humanoids. Key strengths include ease of installation, mature vehicle dynamics modeling, low network bandwidth requirements, and minimal field service needs.

The company has been adopted by industrial partners such as ConGlobal (for logistics automation) and BIA5, with testimonials highlighting its reliability and efficiency. Polymath targets the massive installed base of off-highway vehicles (estimated at tens of millions globally) that currently lack cost-effective autonomy solutions. The team combines expertise in robotics, machine learning, and sensor fusion, with leadership including CEO Stefan Seltz-Axmacher (former Starsky Robotics co-founder).