Strategic agreements will advance the integration of AI robots between QuikBot, Hitachi and Mitsubishi elevators and building systems.
The two partnerships were announced on consecutive days in September 2026 and share a common objective: to give autonomous systems a trusted way to identify themselves, obtain permissions and interact safely with elevators and other building infrastructure.
Mitsubishi Elevator Singapore signed its agreement with QuikBot on 8 September, combining its expertise in elevators and building systems with QuikBot’s QuikSync platform.
A day later, Hitachi High-Tech Singapore announced a separate agreement with QuikBot to explore similar integration with Hitachi elevators and building systems across Singapore and, potentially, Southeast Asia.
The problem is not necessarily the robot
Physical AI broadly refers to artificial intelligence operating through machines in the real world. That can include delivery robots, autonomous cleaners, inspection systems and other machines capable of sensing their surroundings and making decisions.
The machines themselves are becoming increasingly capable. The buildings around them, however, were generally designed for people.
QuikSync is designed to sit between the autonomous machine and the infrastructure. The platform provides identity, authentication, permissions, governance and operational traceability, effectively determining who the robot is, what it is authorised to do and how it interacts with the building.
Mitsubishi partnership already moves into real-world deployment
Of the two agreements, the Mitsubishi Elevator Singapore partnership is already further along operationally.
QuikSync is currently supporting a deployment within a residential environment in Singapore, where an autonomous cleaning robot produced by an independent manufacturer is able to interact with building infrastructure under established permissions and operating controls.
Mitsubishi Elevator Singapore and QuikBot intend to build on the existing deployment through additional pilots, reference projects and customer applications in Singapore. Potential use cases include delivery, cleaning, security, inspection and healthcare.
The arrangement will also follow an open interoperability model, allowing QuikSync to support robots from different manufacturers rather than tying building owners to one particular supplier.
Hitachi takes the idea into more demanding environments
The Hitachi High-Tech Singapore partnership broadens the discussion beyond conventional commercial and residential buildings.
The collaboration specifically highlights hospitals, semiconductor facilities, manufacturing sites and logistics operations, environments where access, accountability and operational discipline are particularly strict.
Hitachi High-Tech Singapore will use what it calls its “True One Hitachi” approach to draw on expertise across the wider Hitachi Group, linking autonomous systems with operational technology, building infrastructure and data.
The first step will be to explore and validate the integration of QuikSync with Hitachi elevators and related building systems. The scope could eventually extend beyond lifts to doors, access gates, loading docks, parcel rooms, facility management systems, security infrastructure, smart parking and digital twins.
Keeping humans in control
Importantly, neither partnership removes authority from building and infrastructure operators. Under the Mitsubishi agreement, the company retains full and final control over the safety, integrity and operation of its elevators and building systems, with technical activity requiring prior approval.
The Hitachi agreement follows a similar principle. Building and system owners retain authority over how infrastructure is accessed, while connected autonomous systems operate under defined permissions, safety requirements and escalation procedures.
The intention is for autonomous systems to support human teams rather than replace them outright, while maintaining appropriate governance and oversight. Longer term, both collaborations point towards something broader than individual deployments.
The future of Physical AI may not depend solely on making robots cleverer. It may depend just as much on making buildings intelligent enough to let them in.
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