On Friday 19 Jan 2024, ISR-Lisboa President Pedro Lima visited the exceptional minds behind TURFLYNX, a successful spinoff formed by former Técnico students.
In 2021, TURFLYNX made headlines with its acquisition by The Toro Company, a move that marked a significant milestone in the turf maintenance industry. TURFLYNX, a Portugal-based startup, had been at the forefront of autonomous machinery, introducing the industry’s first fully autonomous all-electric golf course fairway mower in 2016. Their commitment to environmental sustainability and addressing labour shortages in the turf industry led to remarkable success and increased sales throughout Europe.
The founders of TURFLYNX embarked on their journey into robotics in 2000 during high school, participating in national robotics competitions. They later pursued degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Engineering at IST, completing their MSc’s under Pedro Lima’s guidance. Their collaboration with ISR as volunteers in projects like SocRob and European research initiatives laid the foundation for their research company and, ultimately, the founding of TURFLYNX in 2014.
Backed by Portuguese (ASK Capital) and Dutch (Mermaid Investments) venture capitalists, TURFLYNX delivered its first autonomous machines in 2016. These machines stand out as the only ones in the industry capable of performing mowing operations across an entire golf course without any human supervision. Notably, the autonomous operation allows coverage of over 90,000 m2 with a fully electric solution on a single charge.
Nowadays, as Toro employees based in Portugal, the TURFLYNX team keeps contributing their expertise to expand Toro’s autonomous solutions portfolio. Their focus remains on autonomous technology, alternate energy, and smart-connected products.
