The solar energy build-out is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. As companies and countries strive to achieve energy independence and mitigate climate change, they are running into a labor market hurdle: a limited supply of workers to meet growing demand for installation.
However, a new startup, Gritt, believes it has found a solution in AI-powered robots. Founded by two Carnegie Mellon-trained roboticists, CEO Puneet Puri and CTO Vishal Dugar, the company recently exited stealth with a $32 million Series A round of funding led by Obvious Ventures, bringing its total funding to date to $34 million.
This investment will enable Gritt to further develop its intelligent system for building infrastructure faster. The startup’s thesis is that if it truly wants to speed up construction, it needs an intelligence that can work in chaotic outdoor environments and be generalizable enough to handle varied tasks.
Rather than building its own robots from scratch, Gritt uses off-the-shelf hardware – rented skidders and robotic arms built by companies like Kawasaki – to build platforms controlled by its AI models. The first job its systems handle is unloading large glass solar panels, carrying them toward metal frames where they need to be installed, and positioning them with sub-millimeter accuracy so workers can fasten them.
Gritt has two systems currently deployed in the field, using data collected to improve their behavior. According to Puri, a typical eight-person crew can install 800 panels a day, but the same crew working with Gritt’s systems can install 3,000 to 4,000 panels each day.
The company is contracted to help install 2.8 gigawatts of solar panels in the next 18 months and has customers including three of the top 10 U.S. power construction companies. Gritt hopes to operate 48 systems within the next six months.
Gritt’s vision goes beyond just installing solar panels. It wants to add new manipulation tasks to its system so it can fasten panels, drill posts, and even build racks they sit on. Longer term, it aims to move into other common labor-intensive construction tasks like tying rebar before concrete is poured over it.
The rise of new AI models has enabled Gritt to pursue this vision. According to Puri, making a system for one solution was still possible five years ago, but AI has made that work generalizable – the same underlying pipeline can be reused and improved across tasks.
Gritt’s founders believe their system can do more than install panels; it can boost management and decision-making on worksites. For instance, they imagine their system noticing a trench is open while a storm approaches, allowing it to alert workers to cover it before rain damages components, or flagging missing inventory.
Source: Original article