Robohub.org
 

Two profitable uses for robots


by
05 May 2015



share this:

ecoppia-PV-cleaner_800_534_80Industrial robots keep humming along, doing the dull, dirty and dangerous work of factories around the world. Newer applications are less often known but are quickly emerging. Here are two novel ones.

ECOPPIA

dusty-solar-panel_300_175_80Ecoppia, a 2013 Israeli startup, is providing a robotic solar panel cleaning system to power companies with solar farms in the desert. Ecoppia recently installed and retrofitted five solar panel sites totaling more than 35MW. Their systems are cleaning about 5 million dusty panels every month.

“Desert regions are prime candidates for solar PV (photovoltaic) farms, aside from one glaring issue: soiling. Reports indicate this phenomenon can reduce overall energy generation by as much as 40 percent, which significantly eats into a system owner’s return on investment,” said Eran Meller, CEO of Ecoppia. “Three of the systems are located in the Arava desert, a region that suffers from frequent dust storms, with few rainy days to naturally wash the debris away. Prior to the Ecoppia installation, each system was cleaned manually, requiring tens of millions of liters of water and costly manpower resources. Ecoppia’s robotic, water-free cleaning solution performs daily cleaning to remove 99 percent of dust on each panel and ensure a higher output from each plant. Supported by real-time and forecasted data from The Weather Channel, the systems can be programmed with a customized cleaning schedule for optimal results.”

INSIGHT ROBOTICS

Insight-Detection-RobotHong Kong-based start-up and IBM SmartCamp Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 award winner Insight Robotics, uses an automated system that combines a high-precision, pan-tilt robot with thermal imaging sensors and advanced artificial intelligence vision technology to detect and protect forests. Insight systems are recording a 100% detection rate in multiple field trials and deployments. Their systems can detect and locate wood- or vegetation-based fires as small as 6′ by 3′ in size within a 3 mile radius, covering up to nearly 30 sq mi of forest and living area. The system then sends real-time images and the location of the fire to control centers for analysis. Armed with real-time image feeds, precise coordinates, microclimate data and alerts sent directly to any device, frontline centers can quickly respond with efficient firefighting plans much earlier than other methods, including smoke detection.

Insight’s early-warning system has been implemented in more than 10 forestry and local government agencies in five provinces and seven cities across the mainland and the company has set a $15 million marketing goal for 2015.

International Fire Fighter Magazine said, “The Insight Robotics Wildfire Detection System is the leading solution for long distance 24-hour wildfire detection. It is the first in the world to spot a heat source as small as a single 2m x 1m tree within a 5 km radius.”



tags: , ,


Frank Tobe is the owner and publisher of The Robot Report, and is also a panel member for Robohub's Robotics by Invitation series.
Frank Tobe is the owner and publisher of The Robot Report, and is also a panel member for Robohub's Robotics by Invitation series.





Related posts :



Social media round-up from #IROS2025

  27 Oct 2025
Take a look at what participants got up to at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

Using generative AI to diversify virtual training grounds for robots

  24 Oct 2025
New tool from MIT CSAIL creates realistic virtual kitchens and living rooms where simulated robots can interact with models of real-world objects, scaling up training data for robot foundation models.

Robot Talk Episode 130 – Robots learning from humans, with Chad Jenkins

  24 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Chad Jenkins from University of Michigan about how robots can learn from people and assist us in our daily lives.

Robot Talk at the Smart City Robotics Competition

  22 Oct 2025
In a special bonus episode of the podcast, Claire chatted to competitors, exhibitors, and attendees at the Smart City Robotics Competition in Milton Keynes.

Robot Talk Episode 129 – Automating museum experiments, with Yuen Ting Chan

  17 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Yuen Ting Chan from Natural History Museum about using robots to automate molecular biology experiments.

What’s coming up at #IROS2025?

  15 Oct 2025
Find out what the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems has in store.

From sea to space, this robot is on a roll

  13 Oct 2025
Graduate students in the aptly named "RAD Lab" are working to improve RoboBall, the robot in an airbag.

Robot Talk Episode 128 – Making microrobots move, with Ali K. Hoshiar

  10 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Ali K. Hoshiar from University of Essex about how microrobots move and work together.



 

Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence