The robotics boom isn't just about the robots themselves. The sensors, vision systems, and specialized surgical tools enabling robotic operations represent massive markets that often get overlooked while investors chase humanoid headlines.
F-Prime Capital's "State of Robotics" report shows enabling-systems companies attracted $1.6 billion in 2025 investment, up from $1.4 billion in 2024. These are the pick-and-shovel play LiDAR sensors, vision systems, and control hardware that every robotics company needs, regardless of their specific application.
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Meanwhile, medical robotics continues demonstrating the sector's most proven business model. Surgical platforms generate recurring revenue from procedures, avoid the deployment challenges facing warehouse and defense robots, and benefit from favorable reimbursement dynamics as hospitals invest in automation.
Two smaller robotics stocks capture these opportunities: a LiDAR company, with a stock that quadrupled over the last 12 months as robotics deployments accelerated, and a surgical robotics platform growing revenue at a breakneck pace as it expands into high-volume procedures.
The robotics vision infrastructure play
Ouster (OUST +3.66%) manufactures high-resolution LiDAR sensors used across autonomous vehicles, industrial robots, and smart infrastructure. The $2 billion company generated $126 million in revenue over the last 12 months, up 26% from the prior-year period.
NASDAQ: OUST
Key Data Points
The stock has surged 373% over the last 12 months as investors recognize LiDAR's growing role in robotics deployments. The technology is increasingly used in autonomous vehicles, warehouse automation, and industrial applications where precise 3D mapping provides advantages over camera-only systems.
Ouster's digital LiDAR architecture claims cost and performance advantages over traditional mechanical systems. The company argues that as production scales, its approach delivers better gross margin while remaining price-competitive for customers deploying thousands of units.
Current losses reflect typical hardware scaling dynamics-heavy research and development (R&D) and manufacturing investment ahead of volume ramp ups. The company has burned through cash, building capacity for anticipated demand from autonomous-vehicle deployments and industrial automation.
As robotics deployments scale across multiple sectors, sensor suppliers with proven technology benefit, regardless of which specific robot platforms win. That's the infrastructure play, which just happens to be Ouster's speciality.
The high-growth surgical robotics platform
Procept Biorobotics (PRCT 2.33%) builds the Aquablation robotic system for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlarged prostate condition affecting millions of men. The small-cap company generated $275 million in revenue over the last 12 months, up 56% from the prior year, as procedure volumes accelerated.
NASDAQ: PRCT
Key Data Points
The system uses robotics and real-time imaging to deliver water jet therapy, offering advantages over traditional surgical approaches in precision and recovery time. Each system placement creates recurring revenue from disposable handpieces used in procedures, similar to Intuitive Surgical's razor-and-blade model but in a focused urology application.
Growth comes from both new system installations and rising procedure volumes on existing systems as urologists gain experience and confidence with the technology. Insurance reimbursement supports adoption, removing a common barrier for novel surgical approaches.
Procept chose one high-volume procedure and built a superior solution instead of spreading resources across multiple surgical specialties. That focus is paying off as hospitals expand adoption, driving healthy levels of revenue growth.
The robotics infrastructure opportunity
Ouster provides infrastructure that every robotics deployment needs, with stock performance already reflecting optimism about the sector's growth trajectory. Procept offers high growth in proven surgical robotics, though with profitability still ahead and a narrower market focus than category leaders.
These two robotics pioneers capture different opportunities than the established leaders -- higher risk, higher potential reward, and exposure to the enabling technologies and emerging platforms that could define the next phase of robotics deployment. As such, prospective buyers should carefully consider position sizing.
