In the next few years, most of the startup's focus will be on facilitating robots that cut grass. The company is focused on plowing the sidewalk.
The startup was founded by a group of people. During their first year at the University of Waterloo, the four of them got to know one another. The team originally planned to develop a robotic cutting solution for sports fields, but kept hearing from landscapers that cutting 1,000+ acres of utility-scale solar installations was a challenge that could use a modern solution.
Tim Lichti is the CEO at Swap Robotics. The image was created by Haje Kamps.
The team wanted to create a solution that could cut grass in a controlled environment. When it comes to solar vegetation cutting, it requires a unique type of cutting deck that is able to get underneath solar panels, and that's where a robotic solution could come in.
There are a couple of challenges when cutting all of the vegetation in a solar field. The way it's done is not sustainable. There is a big carbon footprint because it is done by gasoline or diesel. The price of gasoline and diesel is high. There's a lot of equipment breakdown and costs associated with rough terrain It is more sustainable since we are doing 100% electric. It is not going to break down as often because there are less parts.
The image is from swap robotics.
The snow plow attachment and the grass cutting blades are moved by the robot. The name of the attachment is swap Robotics to make it easier and quicker to swap. The batteries of the robot can be changed in five minutes. More than one thousand pounds can be held by the robots.
Within 60 days of introducing its robots, Swap Robotics had $9 million of signed agreements.
The world's first 100% electric cutting deck has been developed to reach the grass and vegetation beneath solar panels. The world's first 100% electric "rough cut" deck can cut down vegetation up to two-inches in diameter, according to the company.
According to Lichti, there are several robot in commercial operation in Texas, but he can't say which companies are using them. The startup is in the middle of releasing a bunch of new robots and has ordered supplies for the next wave. As a result of its new relationship with SOLV Energy, the company expects to sell more products.
The company charges a price peracre. The model is convenient because customers already know how much it costs to cut grass. The price per acre can vary depending on a number of factors. The startup wants to give customers 15% to 20% in savings when compared to their current costs.
The image is from swap robotics.
SOLV Energy, the largest utility-scale solar building company in the United States, invested in the startup, but it's not clear how much. The pre-Series A round will close at the end of October. The majority of the investment will go towards commercialization. Dozens ofrobots will be in service when the company ramps up operations. Capital expenditure will be a part of the investment.
Three years after its launch from angel investors, swap robotics raised $3 million. The funding was used to make the first dozen of the robot. The investment was used for a lot of different things.
At the TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco in October of 2022, swap robotics. The image was created by Haje Kamps.
The Series A round is going to be larger in the years to come.
In the long term, we would love to have a robot platform for work. A form factor that is compact, strong and robust can be used in dozens of different uses. It's an ideal platform for heavy use cases because of the weather.
The potential for its additional use cases is part of the startup's long term vision. According to Lichti, the robots could be used for street sweeping or reforestation.
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