In this episode, Sunny Ray sits down with Dr. Denis Stogl, founder and CEO of be.roboticized and a core maintainer of ros2_control, to explore how academic robotics research can finally reach real factory floors. Denis traces his path from a small village near Zagreb, Croatia, where he built computers and soldered electronics with his father and brother, through his engineering studies in Croatia and Germany, to becoming a leading voice in industrial robotics. He explains how his company bridges the gap between open source frameworks like ROS and industrial automation systems such as PLCs, offering consulting, development services, and products including the newly launched be.control box. Denis discusses why simplicity and accessibility, including an app store style deployment model, are essential to help smaller companies adopt robotics without needing large technical teams. He also reflects on lessons from Croatia's engineering culture, his work on ROS2 control, and his vision for a future where deploying a robotic cell takes hours instead of months. The conversation closes with his outlook on humanoid robotics and where the industry is headed next.
Dr. Denis Stogl explains how bridging ROS and industrial automation could make deploying real world robots as easy as an app install.
Can you give a one line description of what your company does before we dive into your background?
We help automation and robotics teams bring their applications to the next level, basically bringing research to industry floors. We offer three main things: consulting to help companies figure out how to move forward strategically in robotics, development services, and products that target this gap we see across multiple clients.
What was life like for you growing up in Croatia?
I grew up in a small village near Zagreb. My father was a lab technician with a huge passion for technology, and my brother and I were soldering and repairing TVs as kids because it was hard to get equipment during the war in Croatia in the early 90s. By 1998 my father built his own computer from parts, and that got me into technology. I later read Stephen Hawking's book cover to cover at age 12 and knew I loved the real physical world, not just software.
How did you end up specializing in robotics and automation?
I originally wanted to study informatics because my brother taught me programming, but it wasn't satisfying. One night in the student club I met an older student specializing in automation and control, and when I explained what I wanted to do, he told me automation was the answer. So by training I'm an automation and control engineer, but very specifically doing robotics.
How did studying in both Croatia and Germany shape your engineering mindset?
In Croatia engineering degrees are hardcore and you're expected to finish on time, almost like a small military drill. In Germany things were more relaxed, students often took six or seven years even with the same curriculum, but Germany gave me the chance to do a lot of real engineering. The frustration and discipline from Croatia actually made me a better engineer for tackling real world problems.
At what point did you realize the real problem wasn't research but getting technology into real factories?
As a researcher I always struggled with writing papers, but my PhD work was mostly engineering, building a completely new robot. Working on a few industrial projects nearby and seeing how people programmed robots using methods from 30 years ago made me realize things needed to change, and that's what drove me toward industry.
What exactly does be.roboticized do in plain terms?
We are a consulting and engineering company focused on building professional, real world robotic systems. We take the cool algorithms from academia and figure out how to bring them as fast as possible into industry, into products and solutions that actually improve people's lives.
What is the be.control box and what problem does it solve?
It's essentially a control box for any robot that gives you industrial and ROS interfaces at once. Students and companies struggle to communicate with robots reliably while also wanting to use AI for grasping or path planning. We put established industrial hardware on industrial controllers so people get PLC style reliability plus full ROS access, which PLCs alone can't handle once applications get complex.
Looking five to ten years out, what does the robotics industry look like if this bridge between open source and industrial automation is fully built?
I think it's not a question of if but when, similar to how cloud computing didn't really take off until open source tools like Docker arrived. My life mission is to make it possible for a small company to set up a pick and place robotic cell within a couple of hours without deep technical knowledge. We also need to make sure flashy AI and humanoid demos are backed by real world deployable, accessible systems, not just a data center behind the scenes.
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