Robot removes weeds while you sleep – the robot everyone wants is being built in Denmark
It removes weeds, algae, leaves and even snow from your paved areas – while you sleep and without any chemicals.
The robot every houseowner dreams of is being built as we speak by a Danish startup, now backed by Odense Robotics StartUp Fund. But the robot will be working its magic on theme parks rather than gardens in first instance. O-Robotics is targeting the commercial sector, where endless paved areas represent a huge untapped global market.
2.5 billion m2. That’s how much paved area there is in Denmark alone. But when it comes to urban maintenance today, everything is done by hand. Even professionals have to operate appliances manually, because there are no autonomous solutions on the market that maintain paved areas.
Alf Olsen is about to change that.
The tech entrepreneur is developing an autonomous mobile robot sweeper designed to revolutionise urban maintenance.
The engineer built the robot from scratch without any robotics training. The mobile robot will remove dirt, algae, moss, rubbish, leaves, snow and even ice. It will operate 24/7 without user intervention.
And best of all: it will be good for the environment.
– This eco-friendly robot eliminates the need for chemicals or heat, because its brushes do the work. And because it’s autonomous, it provides a continuous 24-hour service. Businesses can switch on the robot at night and let it do all the hard work – summer or winter, says Alf Olsen, CEO and Founder of O-Robotics, which has just been selected by Odense Robotics StartUp Fund for a place in the incubator at the Danish Technological Institute.
Alf Olsen, CEO and Founder of O-Robotics
Customers lined up
The startup is targeting attractions and organisations with a high focus on sustainability – more than 5,000 locations already have the green certification in the EU, so the market is big. And if the current 15 percent CAGR growth rate for robot lawn mowers is anything to go by, growth prospects are strong.
Interest in the new robot is so high that O-Robotics has countless customers lined up already. Some of Denmark’s biggest theme parks, zoos, museums and municipalities are waiting to test the robot as soon as the first protype is fully built.
– We’ve got a long list of customers waiting for the robot and eager to start testing. So instead of sitting in a lab for three years programming, we are going to improve the algorithm as we go along. If the robot gets stuck when manoeuvring around a difficult obstacle, we can operate it via remote control until we get the algorithm just right, says Alf Olsen.
Initial tests will be done at the Danish Technological Institute, where O-Robotics is now part of the robotics incubator after being selected by Odense Robotics StartUp Fund.
– It’s a huge advantage to be part of the incubator. Now we have direct, on-site support from robotics experts who can help us develop our solution and business strategy. And we’re right at the heart of Denmark’s robotics ecosystem, well placed to network and meet partners. I’ve always had a philosophy that it’s important to open as many doors as possible. And if there’s one place you can do that in robotics, it’s here in Odense, says Alf Olsen, who is looking for a business angel to boost their next phase.
O-Robotics has a team of 10 people across Europe with a wide range of expertise in robotics, data, software and sustainability.