# Tim Swift

> Tim Swift is the founder and CEO of Roam Robotics, the San Francisco company building lightweight exoskeletons out of high-strength fabric and compressed air instead of heavy steel and motors. A UC Berkeley mechanical engineering PhD, he was one of the original three-person team that invented the Ekso exoskeleton at Ekso Bionics, then went to Otherlab before starting Roam in 2014. His bet: that wearable robots can weigh five pounds, cost a few thousand dollars, and be something a regular person buys to ski longer, hike farther, or move with less pain - not a tens-of-thousands-of-dollars hospital machine.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Roam Robotics
- **Organizations:** Roam Robotics, Otherlab, Ekso Bionics, UC Berkeley
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Co-invented the Ekso exoskeleton as part of a three-person founding team., Founded and leads Roam Robotics, pioneering fabric-and-air (pneumatic) exoskeletons., Shipped Elevate, one of the first commercial consumer exoskeletons, for skiing.

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Earned a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, developing foundational technology for commercial wearable robots.
- **Ekso Bionics** — One of the original three-person team that invented Ekso, a lower-extremity rigid exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation and paraplegic mobility.
- **2013** — Joined Otherlab (founder Saul Griffith) to develop a robotic platform that slashed weight and cost using high-strength fabric and compressed air.
- **2014** — Founded Roam Robotics to make lightweight, affordable wearable robots for everyday people.
- **2018** — Launched Elevate, Roam's first consumer-facing product - a robotic ski exoskeleton that offloads up to 30% of body weight.
- **2018** — Closed a $12M Series A round led by Yamaha Motor Co.
- **ongoing** — Expanded the platform into military (Forge for U.S. military / Navy SEALs) and medical mobility applications including knee support.

## Achievements

- Co-invented the Ekso exoskeleton as part of a three-person founding team.
- Founded and leads Roam Robotics, pioneering fabric-and-air (pneumatic) exoskeletons.
- Shipped Elevate, one of the first commercial consumer exoskeletons, for skiing.
- Raised a $12M Series A led by Yamaha Motor Co.
- Built exoskeleton systems adopted for U.S. military use, including projects with Navy SEALs.

## Links

- Website: https://roamrobotics.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/timaswift
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/roamrobotics
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOKPQOme4M
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roamrobots

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tim-swift
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04