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NIDUS

NIDUS

Applied AI — Manufacturing — Defense

AI-powered manufacturing systems to supercharge America's industrial base,
powered by foundational robotics models.

Built in NYC · 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W
Architecture Below
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Digital Twin · CNC Subsystem 01

Autonomous Toolpath & Metrology Workbench

Foundational robotics models and adaptive toolpath software interfacing directly with precision machine tools. Inspect autonomous passes on an aerospace defense component demonstrator below.

COMPONENT: AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMPONENT [CONCEPT DEMO]
METROLOGY: IN-TOLERANCE
COORDINATES: X:+000.00 Y:+000.00 Z:-1.250
FEED RATE: 1,850 mm/min
CLOSED-LOOP METROLOGY: ACTIVE [DEMO]
Foundational Thesis

Why American Dynamism Will Fail

“The math is simple and brutal: American Dynamism is betting billions on a workforce that doesn’t exist.”

Silicon Valley knows how to take defense prototypes from Zero to One. But when thousands of VC-backed defense startups win contracts and need to field 50,000 units each to win a war, the strained American manufacturing base breaks under the pressure.

Justin Sealy

Founder & CEO · ex Palantir, Peregrine, Vannevar, Robert Bosch

Industrial Ground Truth
250,000

Navy Maritime Worker Deficit

Submarine and surface vessel production at Newport News and Electric Boat face severe, compounding labor gaps.

3.8M

US Manufacturing Shortfall

Projected unfilled manufacturing positions across American industrial defense facilities through 2033.

55 YRS

Average Machinist Age

Decades of irreplaceable machining know-how is retiring rapidly with near-zero backfill from Gen Z.

10×

Nidus Output Multiplier

One trained operator orchestrates ten autonomous CNC and robotic workcells across unattended 24/7 dark shifts.

Architecture · Core Capabilities

Systems Engineered for the Defense Industrial Base

Software and robotic operating systems engineered to retrofit America's existing CNC machine tools with autonomous tending and adaptive execution.

01 // MACHINE TENDING [HARDWARE INTEGRATION]

Autonomous Machine Tending

Retrofittable robotic cell hardware that interfaces with existing 3-axis and 5-axis CNC machining tools. Coordinates pneumatic workholding, automatic raw stock loading, and cycle tending so existing facilities can run without constant operator intervention.

Machine Compatibility
Universal CNC Mills
Operator Target
1 Operator : 10 Machines [Target]
Workholding
Pneumatic / Hydraulic
Deployment Model
Non-Disruptive Retrofit
02 // FOUNDATIONAL AI [INTELLIGENCE LAYER]

Foundational Robotics Models

Vision-Language-Action models trained on machining dynamics, spatial perception, and robotic manipulation. Understands physical constraints and engineering drawings directly to execute adaptive machine tending without fragile scripted routines.

Architecture
Vision-Language-Action
Execution
Real-Time Edge Inference
Input Modality
CAD / STEP / Drawings
Deployment
Air-Gapped / On-Premise
03 // QUALITY ASSURANCE [ADAPTIVE FEEDBACK]

In-Situ Metrology & Correction

Integrated sensor and optical feedback sweeps parts directly inside the machine environment. Detects thermal expansion and tool deflection dynamically, enabling closed-loop toolpath adjustments to eliminate scrapped parts.

Inspection Mode
In-Spindle & Laser Scan
Closed-Loop
Dynamic Toolpath Recorrection
Quality Target
Zero Human Rework
Traceability
Digital Part Audit Records
04 // FACTORY OS [FLEET SOFTWARE]

Autonomous Fleet OS

Centralized shop-floor operating system managing shift coordination, tool wear tracking, raw stock staging, and unattended multi-cell operations across sovereign defense manufacturing suppliers.

Fleet Scaling
Distributed Cell Coordination
Cybersecurity
CMMC / ITAR Ready
Operations
Unattended & Overnight Shifts
Environment
Secure GovCloud / Air-Gapped
Target Manufacturing Segments · DIB Capabilities

Empowering America's Defense Industrial Base

Nidus builds autonomous robotics software to help America's machine shops and defense suppliers produce the high-precision, low-volume components critical to national security.

01 · Maritime & Naval Shipbuilding

Naval Shipbuilding Supply Chain

Automating machine tending and precision machining of critical fittings, valve housings, and high-strength alloy hardware for shipyard suppliers.

HY-80 · HY-100 · MONEL · TITANIUM
02 · Aerospace & Propulsion

Rocket Motors & Propulsion Systems

Adaptive toolpath control and in-situ metrology for difficult-to-machine superalloy components, rocket injectors, and thermal protection structures.

INCONEL 718 · HASTELLOY · COLUMBIUM
03 · Autonomous Systems

Tactical Drone Airframes & Swarms

Scaling machine shop output to produce tens of thousands of precision airframe spars, gimbal brackets, and kinetic interceptor fins without expanding headcounts.

7075-T6 · MAGNESIUM · TITANIUM GR 5
04 · Space Architecture

Resilient Space & Satellite Hardware

High-tolerance, low-thermal-expansion optical mounts, sensor brackets, and bus fittings machined unattended with zero margin for error.

INVAR 36 · BERYLLIUM · OPTICAL TITANIUM
Leadership · Engineering Pedigree

Built by Operators From the Factory Floor & Defense Frontlines

Our team bridges the cultural divide between high-volume physical manufacturing and frontier AI. We have deployed national security systems, built factory line automations, and trained foundation robotics models.

Justin Sealy

LinkedIn ↗
EXEC-01 // FOUNDER
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Started as a manufacturing engineer at Robert Bosch on America's factory assembly lines. Former deployment strategist and operations lead at Palantir, Peregrine, and Vannevar Technologies. Author of the defense industrial manifesto Why American Dynamism Will Fail.

Prior Experience · Defense & Industry
Palantir
Vannevar Labs
Peregrine
Robert Bosch

Harrison Nguyen

LinkedIn ↗
EXEC-02 // CO-FOUNDER
Co-Founder

Co-founder scaling operations, enterprise partnerships, and shop-floor deployments at Nidus. Previously drove enterprise operations and technical platform growth at Vannevar Labs, deploying national security software to defense stakeholders and operational units.

Prior Experience · Defense & Operations
Vannevar Labs
National Security
Defense Tech

Charu

LinkedIn ↗
EXEC-03 // CO-FOUNDER
Co-Founder & Technical Lead

Directs autonomous robotics architecture and foundational Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model development at Nidus. Deep background across frontier AI, real-time spatial intelligence, and robotic manipulation systems engineered to perform deterministically in live manufacturing environments.

Prior Experience · AI & Research
Frontier AI
Spatial Autonomy
Deep Tech

Sawyer Brooks

LinkedIn ↗
ENG-01 // ROBOTICS
Robotics Systems Engineer

Former Group Leader for Robot Operations and Testing at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Led robotic arm sample caching operations on Mars for the Perseverance rover and V&V for the CADRE multi-robot lunar mission. M.S. in Robotics from the University of Pennsylvania GRASP Lab.

Prior Experience · Aerospace & Robotics
NASA JPL
Mars Rover
UPenn GRASP

Ken Lai

LinkedIn ↗
ENG-02 // ML & AUTONOMY
Robotics & Machine Learning Engineer

Holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Cranfield University. Expert in autonomous robotics, spatial perception, and deep learning for physical dynamics. Previously developed autonomous drone systems and flight software at BAE Systems.

Prior Experience · Aerospace & Machine Learning
Cranfield Ph.D.
BAE Systems
Aerospace AI

Andrew Garrett

LinkedIn ↗
ENG-03 // SYSTEMS
Robotics & Systems Software Engineer

Directs low-latency systems infrastructure, sensor fusion pipelines, and deterministic robot controller integration at Nidus. Bridges high-throughput foundational model inference with real-time CNC machine tool execution on the factory floor.

Prior Experience · Systems & Autonomy
Systems Eng
Computer Vision
Real-Time Robotics
Culture · New York City

Systems That Work Outside The Lab

We work together in-person in NYC. Great team, fast iteration, daily team lunch. Autonomous manipulation in real manufacturing environments is an unsolved engineering problem — and the most important one in America.

We prefer physical ground-truth over synthetic benchmarks, and shipping over theorizing. We keep our technical staff small and senior.

Open Engineering Roles

FETCHING OPEN ROLES...
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DoD · Defense Primes · Machine Centers