A multi-million dollar deal has been signed establishing Hong Kong-based robotics company Robocore as the official local distributor of Israeli robotics start-up Verobotics’ technology. The deal will enable Verobotics, which develops autonomous robotic solutions for building exterior upkeep (read: robot window washers), to deploy its technology throughout Hong Kong, which is home to over 9,000 high-rise buildings.
“With the largest concentration of high-rise buildings in the world, Verobotics solutions are especially relevant for Hong Kong,” said Roy Lim, CEO of Robocore. “We are confident that the robots will be deployed on hundreds of buildings within a couple of years.”
Following the agreement, the robots will begin to be deployed in Q3 2023 to Hong Kong customers. The Israeli company intends to deliver a few dozen of its robots to its new Hong Kong partner over the next three years.
“With the largest concentration of high-rise buildings in the world, Verobotics solutions are especially relevant for Hong Kong.”
Roy Lim
That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight, cleaning up your building
Verobotics’ proprietary machine is a window-washing robot that weighs less than 10kg, is operated autonomously and is designed to be easy to install, transport and manage. The company’s in-built software platform automates inspection and maintenance processes, which can be especially beneficial under extreme weather conditions.
The robot was designed as an innovation targeted at the 40 billion dollar market for building upkeep and maintenance. Verobotics hopes to make an impact on that market by creating a safer, faster and more efficient alternative to human building cleaners.
“I am thrilled to partner with Robocore to bring our technology to Hong Kong,” said Ido Genosar, CEO of Verobotics. “There is a huge appetite for innovation from real estate developers in the region, and I am very excited that our robots will soon become a staple in the ecosystem.”
One step closer to the Jetsons’ maid
Verobotics is not the only Israeli robotics company to develop an autonomous solution to the upkeep of weather-exposed flat surfaces. Within the climate-tech sector, start-up BladeRanger has gained attention for its solar panel-cleaning robot, PLECO.
In November, the company acquired the assets, operations and 400,000 shares of climate-tech company Raycatch Ltd. for approximately $1.5 million in order to expand its footprint in the Israeli and the global renewable energy market.
BladeRanger CEO Oded Fruchtman explained that the market for solar panel cleaning — or any kind of external structure surface cleaning, for that matter — is unlikely to do anything but increase in size.
“If you go to the south of Israel and you look at the solar panels there, you have to clean them on a daily basis, or weekly basis,” Fruchtman said. “We're in a global warming phase, and the world is getting drier and dustier day by day. So I think [the autonomous cleaning industry] has a clear future.”