Nanoveu Ltd Completes Spinoff Robotics Acquisition for Drone Platforms
Nanoveu completes Spinoff Robotics acquisition, securing two validated drone platforms and in-house engineering muscle
Nanoveu Limited (ASX: NVU) has completed its 100% acquisition of Singapore-based deep-tech firm Spinoff Robotics Pte Ltd, a spinout from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
The deal delivers two commercially validated drone platforms, ALICE and METRON, an experienced in-house aerial robotics engineering team, and a direct deployment surface for EMASS’s ECS-DoT edge-AI silicon.
Completion finalises the previously announced transaction (refer announcement 15 May 2026). The result gives Nanoveu hardware it designs and controls itself, providing an integrated development and testing platform intended to accelerate ECS-DoT commercialisation in the drone sector.
The binding agreement to acquire Spinoff Robotics was announced in May 2026, with the deal framed at signing as completing a full silicon-to-airframe stack targeting defence ISR, critical infrastructure surveillance, and nuclear facility inspection markets with addressable sizes ranging from US$1.5 billion to US$595 billion.
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Inside the deal: what Nanoveu acquired
The two platforms serve distinct functions. ALICE is a tethered aerial high-payload platform that can withstand high reaction forces. METRON is a sub-millimetre photogrammetry and visual AI system capable of real-time anomaly detection at millimetre-level precision.
Both platforms have been validated with Tier-1 Singaporean customers, including Gardens by the Bay, the Land Transport Authority, and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency.
Under the sale and purchase agreement, Nanoveu has issued the following consideration for the acquisition:
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3,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares, issued today
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4,000,000 performance rights, subject to revenue, IP integration and share price milestones (as previously disclosed on 15 May 2026)
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Consideration shares are subject to a 12-month voluntary escrow period
Further details are contained in the Appendix 2A and Appendix 3G lodged with the ASX.
Executive Chairman, Dr David Pevcic
“With the completion of this acquisition, Nanoveu adds deep in-house drone engineering expertise to its class-leading edge-AI technology. Spinoff’s commercially validated platforms and experienced team allow us to develop and deploy ECS-DoT within hardware we design and control ourselves — a capability that is difficult to replicate, and one that positions the Company well for its next phase of growth.”
How ALICE and METRON open high-value defence and inspection markets
With the transaction complete, Nanoveu is now evaluating enhancements to the ALICE and METRON platforms for next-generation applications. By integrating the ECS-DoT silicon, the Company is targeting high-value use cases that build on the existing drones while leveraging EMASS’s complementary edge-AI technology.
The three identified target applications are summarised below.
| Platform | Target Use Case | Core Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| ALICE | Active aerial defence | High reaction-force resistance lets it carry heavy-duty electronic-warfare and kinetic countermeasure systems that conventional drones cannot support. |
| ALICE | Critical infrastructure protection & threat response | Ground-side power removes onboard-battery weight, freeing the entire lift budget for high-grade countermeasure hardware and allowing it to stay airborne indefinitely with no signal to jam or spoof. |
| METRON | Inspection of nuclear & human-inaccessible locations | Sub-millimetre structural inspection inside reactor halls, spent-fuel facilities and contaminated sites — a fidelity human inspectors physically cannot achieve, with all processing done on-device. |
Alongside these use cases, the Company has flagged the development of 2nd generation ALICE and METRON platforms for its identified target verticals.
Understanding edge-AI silicon and why the drone integration matters
Owning the drone airframe matters because it allows integration from the ground up. By engineering ECS-DoT into the airframe from the outset, Nanoveu can optimise how the platform performs across three levers tuned in-house:
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Sensor placement
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Power envelope
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Control-loop latency
This deep integration allows the Company to test ECS-DoT capabilities on live drone platforms, ultimately supporting the path towards commercialisation within the broader drone industry.
Live drone flight trials conducted ahead of the acquisition completion demonstrated ECS-DoT delivering up to 27.8% cruise energy efficiency gains, with the strongest improvements recorded on the short legs and turning segments that dominate commercial surveillance and inspection routes.
The investment case: multiple routes to market
Beyond direct hardware sales, the acquisition opens up diverse commercialisation routes. The Company states it is positioned to provide specialised, AI-driven solutions, enabled by ECS-DoT, to drone OEMs and system integrators globally.
The transaction also brings new leadership into the business. Dr Chee How Tan, co-founder of Spinoff Robotics and lead researcher in lean sensing and embodied perception for lightweight aerial robotics, has joined Nanoveu to lead the Company’s drone vertical initiatives.
For investors, the significance lies in vertical integration. Combining proprietary hardware with owned edge-AI silicon is a capability that management describes as difficult to replicate, potentially offering a defensible position as the Company develops its offering.
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What comes next for Nanoveu
Near-term focus centres on developing the 2nd-generation ALICE and METRON platforms, integrating and fine-tuning ECS-DoT within them, and evaluating applications across active aerial defence, critical infrastructure protection and major inspection markets.
These remain stated targets and evaluations rather than confirmed contracts. No specific commercialisation timeline or revenue figures have been disclosed, and investors should treat the forward-looking objectives accordingly.
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