Patchy
Autonomous Repair Robot
For (drinking) water pipelines
Problem Description
- Drowning is the third leading cause of death worldwide for children aged 5 – 14 years1.
- Often goes unnoticed, especially children rarely call for help1.
- Detection systems give only a minute to prevent permanent damage.
- Private pool owners are concerned about drowning, but are often not able to adequately respond2.
- Detection systems move concerns from detection to timely rescue.
Problem Size
A.k.a. the Market.
Urgency
Why would the customer want it now?
Value for Contractors
- Offer up to 10x reduction in direct costs of pipeline repairs
- Faster problem solution, increase productivity
Direct cost reduction
The most interesting jobs are medium-size (300-1200mm) pipes where any repairs would require digging a hole in a street. According to interviews with contractors the overall cost of such a repair varies from € 5'000 to 50'000.
Repair by robot costs breakdown:
- Materials € 100-200
- Deployment, 1 person 2-8 hours € 100 - 400
- Depreciation € 5000 / 20 = € 250
- Total costs € 450 - 850
Target repair price offering € 2000 - 5000.
Value for Governments
- Eliminate cascade repair costs (open streets, downtime)
- Faster problem solution, reducing average yearly loss
Direct cost reduction
The most interesting jobs are medium-size (300-1200mm) pipes where any repairs would require digging a hole in a street. According to interviews with contractors the overall cost of such a repair varies from € 5'000 to 50'000.
Repair by robot costs breakdown:
- Materials € 100-200
- Deployment, 1 person 2-8 hours € 100 - 400
- Depreciation € 5000 / 20 = € 250
- Total costs € 450 - 850
Target repair price offering € 2000 - 5000.
Market
Product
A robot that is (semi-) permanently floating in the pool, continuously monitoring for signs of drowning. Using 3D cameras, sonar and acoustic analysis as inputs to an AI based analysis system.
A simple notification app to receive alerts from the robot and, if required, cancel pending rescues.
Hotel/Motel
Stage 1- Robots manufactured using ‘one-off’ production techniques.
- Some education in using the robots is acceptable.
- Direct factory support.
- Delivers valuable field testing data in preparation for production of consumer devices.
Residential
Stage 2- Consumer oriented devices built on mass-production techniques.
- User experience: Register in app, connect WiFi and drop robot in pool.
- Resale & support through dealers once quantities grow.
Business model
Stage 1 devices
USD 25000 end-user price and $ 8000 cost-price. Marketed to hotels / motels. 50-70% cost saving compared to a lifeguard. Target sales: 20 to 100 robots — preferably to at least one of the larger hotel chains — before starting stage 2 roll-out.
Business model
Stage 2 devices
$ 5000 end-user price and $ 1250 cost-price. Marketed to residential pool owners.
Beyond
Updated robot for the high-margin professional market, based on stage 2 devices.
Collaborative robots to cover large areas such as public pools or lakes.
Status
- First m.v.p. prototype stage 1 robot built.
- Software for autonomous detection and rescues in progress.
- Patent pending in USA.
- Website is launched.
- Outreach to pilot customers started.
Team
Stefan Hamminga
Engineering & Production
Financial
We are looking for financing for getting the stage 1 and 2 devices to market.
USD 500k stage 1 investment opportunity
Key investments: R&D, team expansion and marketing.
USD 900k stage 2 investment opportunity
Key investments: DfM, team expansion, sales structures, production tools.