The opportunity

Our cities have more paved land than lawns, and although the lawns have spurred an exponentially growing market for robotic lawnmowers, no similar solution currently exists for autonomous maintenance of the outdoor stone and tile paved areas. Denmark alone has 2.5 billion m2 of urban land and although more than 200.000 robotics lawnmowers is in use within the country, no robotic solution for paved areas exists, yet! The Company has a vision to support a better future for our next generations with the mission to develop The Product, a multipurpose Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) to sustainably address the maintenance needs of paved areas in our cities.

The solution

The core technology of The Product mimics the most state-of-the-art robot lawnmowers using Satellite Navigation and Machine Vision to enhance the navigation in a dynamically changing environment. The Company is developing intelligent navigation enabled with edge-computational power, allowing the integration of more Artificial Intelligence directly in autonomous robots. The robot features two revolving motor outlets for tool attachments initially designed with brushes, however these are easily replaceable according to what application is desired by the customer. The patented tool assembly acts as the “third wheel,” giving the robot stability while ensuring contact pressure to the surface being engaged. The Product is designed to remove various types of debris, including weeds, algae, dust, dirt, rubbish, moss, leaves, snow, and ice.

The Company has identified a beachhead customer profile to be utilized in the go-to-market strategy, which is B2B companies certified under the Green Key certification scheme. These include attractions such as zoos, theme parks and museums, but also hotels and holiday centres of which there are at present +5.500 certified locations in Europe. This customer segment is motivated to ensure an attractive and pleasant exterior for the best visitor experience while simultaneously prioritising sustainable solutions and bound by the certification scheme not to use herbicides. Through market engagement activities, the beachhead was validated with a conversion rate ten times higher than the typical rate for “cold emails,” and The Company has already secured 3 agreements for paid pilot tests with customers.

USPs

Creating an autonomous groundskeeping solution has the potential to generate substantial value and impact as also observed with robotic lawnmowers.

Autonomous:

The most significant value proposition is a fully autonomous solution that saves labour time and removes trivial and repetitive tasks from the maintenance team. The solution needs to be reliable and user-friendly with limited need for user interventions. A plug-and-play design methodology without the need for perimeter wires or other significant installations is critical. Further, autonomous navigation with obstacle detection and avoidance is essential to allow the customer not to worry about animals, objects or other navigation challenges.

Nighttime operation:

Specifically, the autonomous operation during night times is seen as a major value proposition to customers relying on visitors during the day. Customers will be able to extend the maintenance activities without compromising potential visitor satisfaction.

Sustainable:

A significant value proposition favoured and praised by customers is the prospect of a sustainable solution to groundskeeping. The positive impact on the environment, and long-term economic benefits were so enticing that some customers wanted to utilize The Product in promoting their attractions as sustainable. Utilizing a sustainable solution and minimizing negative impacts on the environment creates a compelling reason for customers to choose The Product over non-sustainable alternatives.

Status

The Product is currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5, indicating that the basic technological requirements has been set and that the business case has been formulated. Many of the core components, such as the Brushless DC (BLDC) motors and the navigation system utilizing Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM), are readily available off-the-shelf, facilitating their integration into the robot. While the primary hardware and software components are assembled and functionally tested, further optimization is needed in the areas of machine vision and battery management to enhance performance. The Product has successfully been validated with various versions of remote-controlled early hardware prototypes and earlier versions are currently utilized for active services agreements. The Product design will mature through an iterative process, and the procurement of alpha-units is scheduled for Q2 2025, with beta-units expected in Q3 2025, followed by pilot tests to be conducted throughout 2025. At present The Company is developing the commercial product with support from Odense Robotics Startup Fund, MADE, Innovation Fund Denmark and ESA.