Roby is from Switzerland and has been living in Auroville since 1977. He founded Aureka, a metal workshop  facility in 1988. Since then the business unit has grown and now manufactures wind pumps, track racks for solar panels, compressed earth block press and precision components for wind turbine generators. With over 20 years of experience, he was the principal investigator for several research projects investigating alternative energy solutions funded by various agencies. He studied mechanical engineering in Zurich.