# RoboteX Tactical robotics company founded by Palantir co-founder [[Nathan Gettings]]. Builds multi-purpose robots for police, SWAT teams, and law enforcement — a bridge between Silicon Valley defense tech thinking and domestic surveillance/tactical operations. ## Products - **AVATAR** — Tactical robot that allows SWAT and tactical response teams to remotely inspect dangerous situations before sending personnel in. Used for suspect identification, scene assessment, and reconnaissance. - Platforms designed for police, academic, personal, and industrial applications. ## Funding & Palantir Connection In 2013, RoboteX raised $5M in funding. The investor list reads like a Palantir reunion: [[Peter Thiel]] (Palantir co-founder), [[Alex Karp]] (Palantir CEO), and four other unnamed investors. This is notable because it shows that even outside Palantir, the founding network continues to co-invest — particularly in surveillance and security technology. ## Law Enforcement Adoption Police agencies have purchased AVATAR robots using federal grants. Folsom, CA police received a $74K grant specifically for a tactical SWAT robot. The use case: sweep scenes remotely for clues or suspect identification before sending officers or K9 units in. ## Significance for the KB RoboteX is smaller than the defense unicorns in this collection, but it matters as a **pattern indicator**: 1. Palantir co-founder applies Palantir-style thinking (data + autonomy + security) to a new domain 2. Other Palantir founders immediately co-invest 3. The target market is law enforcement and domestic security, not just military 4. This extends the defense tech network into **domestic surveillance** — a thread that connects to Palantir's own ICE contracts and [[Skydio]]'s DEA/ICE surveillance work ## See Also - [[Nathan Gettings]] - [[Palantir]] - [[Peter Thiel]] - [[Palantir Mafia]] - [[Skydio]]