FiveCo: a start-up specialising in R&D outsourcing
FiveCo is a young start-up based at the EPFL Science Park. Made up of five engineers with degrees in microtechnology, it specialises in electronics, microcontroller programming, precision mechanics, and human-machine interfaces.
The company operates in the field of Research & Development outsourcing. While some firms express concerns about confidentiality, outsourcing makes it possible to test a project's feasibility without the costs of developing an in-house prototype.
FiveCo begins by drawing up a detailed specification document in close collaboration with the client, in order to assess risks and guarantee optimal results. Its client base is highly diverse, spanning toys, biotechnology, and space research.
Notably, the guide robot featured at Expo.02 — whose design and development took 18 months — was the fruit of the autonomous systems laboratory at EPFL, of which FiveCo's founders were former members.
