Cyril Kabbara, cofoudner of Shark Robotics, next to one of the robots produced by the company. Photo Shark Robotics
“I am born to a Lebanese father, Faisal Kabbara from Mina in Tripoli, and a French mother,” Cyril Kabbara told L’ Orient-Le Jour (OLJ). “I was born in Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole, which is perhaps what predestined me to a military career.”
Kabara spent nine years working in intelligence in the French army before studying for a master’s degree in economic intelligence in Paris. The program prepared him to help companies develop and grow by keeping an eye on the competition and understanding the reality of the market.
As luck would have it, Kabbara met Topalian, whose parents are Armenian and have roots in Beirut. Topalian was already a renowned robotics engineer in France and was developing his own prototypes when the two met, deciding to join forced and create Shark Robotics. The company manufactures robots designed by Topalian while leveraging Kabbara’s contacts to help with marketing. “Our idea is to offer and put forward robots in order to keep people away from dangers and risks,” Kabbara said. “Our robots are designed to intervene in difficult situations where there is either a threat or arduous work, like in some industries, for example.”
Colossus attracted attention for the role it played in extinguishing the fire in the Notre Dame, but the company also offers models that can carry out other tasks, such as moving heavy objects, evacuating wounded victims, carrying out demining operations and intervening on oil rigs and in nuclear power plants.
“Their characteristic is that they are flexible; a quick change of equipment and they can switch to a new mission,” Kabbara explained.
While focusing on innovation, Shark Robotics also follows specific and well-defined standards and values. “We are committed to keeping humans at the heart of risk managements and not replacing human jobs with robots,” Kabbara said. “Our fully electrical robots are maneuvered by humans. In addition, we are heading towards a high-end market as we are specialized in high-risk areas and not in logistics, for instance. We have also chosen to control the entire production chain, since everything is produced and tested on our own premises.”
Alone in the nave
Asked about the role of Colossus in the firefighting operation at Notre Dame, Kabbara said he is “proud despite the immense sadness we all felt in seeing such a monument being consumed by flames; proud to watch our robot contributing to putting out this fire”.
Only one robot was used during the inferno, and it was active in the nave of the cathedral, which was destroyed when the spire collapsed. The robot was used to fight the flames and cool down the area and was brought in so that firefighters would not be in harm’s way amid fears that the building was about to collapse. The robot, weighing 500 kg, was hooked up to a fire hose and battled the blaze for over 12 hours.
The founders of Shark Robotics have high aspirations for their company. “We currently employ 20 people, and we have a turnover of three million euros,” Kabbara said. “Our ambition is to become the leader in robotic platforms in Europe and to develop in order to employ 50 to 60 people within five years.”
According to him, the business is interested in expanding to markets outside of France as well, including the Middle East. Lebanon is not yet on the company’s list of potential clients, but Kabbara still feels a sense of attachment to the land of his ancestors. “I still have family there, and I try to visit once a year,” he said. “This is a country that I hold dear.”
(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 30th of April)
