Aug 9 2018
In response to market demand, Left Hand Robotics is initiating production of SnowBot Pro, the first commercial class self-driving snow clearing robot. A single SnowBot Pro can complete the work of 14 shovelers in the same amount of time. Commercial snow management companies and municipalities can reduce their labor costs by up to 80%. Seed financing of $3.7 million led by Heroic Ventures will expand the team and scale production.
SnowBot Pro will be produced in Colorado and delivery begins late 2018. SnowBot Pro is $32,995 plus an annual software subscription. "SnowBot Pro is changing how snow management operators plan for snowstorms," says Terry Olkin, CEO and Co-founder of Left Hand Robotics. "It can start as soon as the snow falls and run without supervision throughout the storm so sidewalks are always clear; this is critical for hospitals, airports, business and academic campuses, retail shopping centers, and municipalities. Late nights and long hours spent shoveling increase the chance of injury, and labor has always been a highly unpredictable cost for this industry. SnowBot Pro is a fixed cost that can pay for itself in the first year," adds Olkin.
SnowBot Pro is smart and connected to the cloud. GPS-controlled, it follows a pre-programmed path unassisted to clear sidewalks and bike paths with down-to-the-inch accuracy. Technologies include LIDAR and RADAR sensors that detect obstacles and allow SnowBot to drive itself safely. Onboard cameras automatically take before and after pictures included in post-action job reports, and monitoring systems allow an operator to monitor the SnowBot in real-time from the web or a mobile device. SnowBot can pre-treat walks ahead of a storm and apply solid or liquid deicer immediately after clearing snow. About the size of an ATV, its compact size is specifically engineered to maneuver sidewalks with ease.
"We invest in visionary companies with the potential to impact huge industries," says Matt Robinson, Founder and Managing Partner of Heroic Ventures, an early Left Hand Robotics investor and the lead for the Seed round. "Left Hand Robotics is bringing the first autonomous robot to the commercial snow management market. In just two years they have designed and launched software and robots that virtually eliminate snow shoveling. The team is incredible and focused on delivering the world's most advanced robotics technologies and software management systems," says Robinson. Others participating in the $3.7M Series Seed round include Hardware Club, PV Ventures and Stout Street Capital.
Today snow management operators can calculate their Return on Investment (ROI) on a SnowBot Pro purchase based on their current costs for manual snow removal. Using the ROI Calculator, an operator can input manual clearing data and an hourly pay rate to calculate their own Breakeven, cost savings on labor, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Reservations are being taken for the 2018-19 snow season. To use the calculator and see SnowBot Pro in action, go to http://www.lefthandrobotics.com.
Source: https://lefthandrobotics.com/press-release-worlds-first-autonomous-commercial-class-snow-clearing-robot-to-ramp-production-in-2018-as-left-hand-robotics-receives-3-7m-in-seed-financing/