Hivebotics raises 6 million dollars to move Abluo into volume production
Hivebotics completed a 6 million dollar Series A to move its Abluo restroom-cleaning robot into volume production. TechNode Global and The Business Times report the round led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, the robot's operating scope and field use across four continents. Abluo cleans toilets, urinals and sinks as well as floors.
Artificial Intelligence··Midday
Funding for volume production
Singapore-based Hivebotics raised 6 million dollars in a Series A led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India. Fareast Land Development and smart-restroom manufacturer Rigel also joined. TechNode Global says the money will move the Abluo robot into volume production, widen distribution across four core markets and develop the HiveIntelligence software layer. The Business Times reports the same amount, round and investors. The financing is intended to move the company from pilot deployments toward production at greater volume.[1], [2]
An arm that reaches beyond the floor
Abluo uses an articulated arm to clean toilets, urinals, sinks and floors. With high-pressure steam, chemical jets, vacuum extraction and blow-drying, the robot addresses a wider set of tasks than cleaning machines that handle only floors. TechNode Global and The Business Times describe the same operating scope. The Business Times adds that cameras identify fixtures and software generates the cleaning route in real time. Checks before and after each task provide data for evaluating the cleaning result.[1], [2]
Field time across four continents
The company reports that Abluo operated at more than 20 sites in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America over 12 months, accumulating about 10,000 hours. Hospitals, airport terminals and shopping centres are among those locations. Both outlets present the field-time figure as a company report rather than an independent performance measurement. The Business Times also carries the company's claim that a five-minute human inspection replaces 30 minutes of manual work. Volume production is intended to turn that field experience into wider distribution.[1], [2]
