The Scottish start-up is relying on a gripper rather than a suction cup, and on software that continuously learns, with more than 200 potential customers in its pipeline.
Amy Ma, a software developer at a London bank, discovered that the recycling bins in her block of flats were ending up… with the general waste. Upon investigating further, she found that recycling still relies heavily on workers who sort waste by hand. Six years later, her Edinburgh-based start-up, Danu Robotics, is marketing H.E.R.O., a sorting robot that grips objects with a claw – unlike its competitors Glacier and RecycleEye, which use suction-cup arms – and whose software is continuously improved using AI.
A return on investment highlighted
The company has secured contracts worth $500,000, received letters of interest from two major clients and has over 200 prospects in a sorting market estimated at $20 billion in Europe and North America. It is finalising a late-stage seed round of $5 million. Its key selling point: a sorting centre would generate around $485,000 in additional revenue per year thanks to the robot, against an initial investment of $160,000 and annual maintenance costs of $24,000. The next step is a smaller, more robust model, designed to sort waste directly at source in shopping centres, hospitals or airports. Danu will be taking part in the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt, from 13 to 15 October.
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