E-ROBOT Prize

Congratulations to our E-ROBOT Grand Prize Winners!

Three teams of innovators have been crowned E-ROBOT Prize winners and will evenly split a $2 million cash prize pool. Their high-impact, holistic, and commercially viable robotic solutions are transforming the building industry with technology that will increase the rate of envelope retrofits through safer and more efficient methods. Congratulations to all of the E-ROBOT Prize finalist and the following winners:

1. RoboAttic & Thermadrone  - Berkeley, California

RoboAttic and Thermadrone

The RoboAttic team has developed a robotic attic vacuum cleaning and air sealing system for inaccessible attics and confined spaces. First, Thermadrone software uses thermal drone camera images to diagnose and identify attic retrofit opportunities. Then, RoboAttic robots vacuum clean and air seal attics quickly, cost-effectively, and safely; this allows for retrofitting inaccessible attics that would not have been air sealed otherwise. Finally, Thermadrone software allows for measurement and verification after retrofit completion, de-risking projects by providing quality assurance.

1. Unified Retrofits - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Unified Retrofits - Holistic Robotic Retrofits

Unified Retrofits brings together leaders in the retrofit robotics, energy auditing, architecture, and construction fields to address the issues of sensing, mapping, and minimally invasive building envelope retrofits. This team’s user-friendly suite of tools includes: a project management, costing, and ROI software for integrated workflows, UAV and AI powered autonomous anomaly sensing and detection system, and a robotic retrofit tool that can implement minimally invasive envelope remediations such as caulking, aerosol sealing, and foam insulating across all types of existing buildings.

1. Friendly Robots Company - Oakland, California

The Mayfly and the Aardvark

The Mayfly and the Aardvark is a combination of a semi-autonomous flying quadcopter air duct inspection drone that maps and identifies deficiencies, and a remediation robot that cleans and repairs. Rather than crawling through attics and climbing ladders, workers can deploy the drone, review the gathered information, and dispatch the remediation robot to fix the issues. This new approach prioritizes worker safety and efficiency on the job site.

Read more on energy.gov: https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/prize-winning-innovations-advance-building-envelope-retrofits-faster-easier-and-safer 

Join us tomorrow for the E-ROBOT Demo Day happening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eight teams of finalists will debut their prototypes designed to make energy-efficient envelope retrofits easier, faster, safer, and more accessible as they vie for a piece of the $2 million cash prize pool. The interactive event will also feature opening remarks from the U.S. Department of Energy, team meet-and-greets, and an industry panel. Register now for E-ROBOT Demo Day! 

Then, tune in on April 7 at 1 p.m. ET (please note the time change) for the LIVE announcement of E-ROBOT Prize winners. Save the date now! 

Don’t miss E-ROBOT Demo Day on April 6! Eight teams of finalists will debut their prototypes designed to make energy-efficient envelope retrofits easier, faster, safer, and more accessible as they vie for a piece of the $2 million cash prize pool. The interactive event will also feature opening remarks from the U.S. Department of Energy, team meet-and-greets, and an industry panel. Register now for E-ROBOT Demo Day! 

Then, tune in on April 7 at 2 p.m. ET for the LIVE announcement of E-ROBOT Prize winners. Save the date now! 

Join the E-ROBOT Prize Phase 1 winners on Nov. 19 to as they showcase their unique technical solutions for better building envelope retrofits. This roundtable event will feature live pitches from all 10 of the E-ROBOT Prize Finalist teams as they prepare for Phase 2. The virtual event will conclude with networking sessions with tech innovators and a variety industry of stakeholders. Register now!

Thank you to everyone who attended today's Phase 2 rules webinar! If you missed the presentation, you can watch the recording or view the slides here: https://www.herox.com/EROBOT/resource/787.  

As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to us at erobot.prize@nrel.gov.