Thu Jun 12 11:00:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text, followed by a news article version:

**Summary:**

Gecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh-based company founded in 2013, is using AI-powered robots and digital twin technology to revolutionize infrastructure inspection and maintenance across various industries, particularly defense, energy, and manufacturing. They’ve secured significant partnerships with the U.S. Navy and L3Harris Technologies, demonstrating the effectiveness of their robotic inspection methods in reducing downtime, costs, and improving defect detection compared to traditional methods. Gecko’s technology captures significantly more data, enabling remote inspection and more efficient maintenance. The company has a $633 million valuation and is expanding rapidly, seeing the greatest impact where AI and robotics are applied to energy, manufacturing, minerals, and defense. CEO Jake Loosararian emphasizes the importance of companies embracing AI and robotics to remain competitive.

**News Article:**

**Gecko Robotics’ AI-Powered Robots Transform Infrastructure Maintenance, Secures Major Defense Contracts**

**PITTSBURGH, PA –** Aging infrastructure and increasingly complex maintenance challenges are driving demand for innovative solutions. Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics is stepping up to the plate, leveraging artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital twin technology to revolutionize inspection and maintenance across crucial sectors like defense, energy, and manufacturing.

Founded in 2013 by CEO Jake Loosararian and Troy Demmer, Gecko Robotics has secured significant partnerships, including a growing relationship with the U.S. Navy and a new collaboration with defense contractor L3Harris Technologies. The company’s AI-powered robots provide a more comprehensive and efficient approach to infrastructure assessment compared to traditional manual methods.

The U.S. Navy reported a 400% increase in its use of Gecko’s services in 2024, citing reduced lead times, lower labor costs, and improved defect detection. One case study revealed that Gecko’s platform captured over 4.2 million data points on a critical defense asset, compared to less than 100 data points using traditional methods. The partnership with L3Harris Technologies aims to maintain military aircraft worldwide by utilizing drones to create digital twins, allowing remote inspection and faster identification of potential issues.

Beyond defense, Gecko Robotics’ technology is gaining traction in the energy sector. In February, the company signed a $100 million deal with NAES, the largest independent power operator in the U.S., to modernize and optimize power plants.

“The technology stacks that we have been building are compounding in value and impact at the very moment when energy, manufacturing, minerals, and defense are the exact markets where AI and robotics are having the most incredible impacts,” CEO Loosararian stated in a recent CNBC interview.

With $222 million in funding and a valuation of $633 million (according to PitchBook), Gecko Robotics is poised for continued growth. The company’s rise underscores the growing importance of AI and robotics in addressing the challenges of maintaining critical infrastructure in an increasingly complex world. Gecko Robotics was ranked No. 42 in CNBC’s 2024 Disruptor 50 list.

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