Edinburgh, Scotland-based Danu Robotics has raised $5 million in late-seed funding. The company, founded by Amy Ma, has developed a robot named H.E.R.O. designed to sort recycling more cheaply and quickly.
H.E.R.O. uses a pincer claw system and leverages AI to continuously improve its software. Danu Robotics has secured $500,000 worth of signed contracts and has letters of interest from two large customers, with over 200 customers in its sales pipeline.
Ma estimates that a working site could earn $485,000 in additional revenue from using the robot on the sorting line, compared to a $160,000 initial investment and $24,000 in annual maintenance fees. The company's next goal is to make the robot sturdier, smaller, and more versatile for use outside dedicated waste facilities.