Category: <span>Technology</span>

Category: Technology

RT3 Member Renovate Robotics Announces Rufus, the Automated Roofing Robot

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Renovate Robotics, the leader in roofing automation, is excited to introduce Rufus, the world’s first automated roofing robot. Today’s announcement showcases a never before seen video of Renovate’s first Rufus prototype.

Rufus is an automated roofing robot designed to double productivity for asphalt shingle installation and improve safety for roofing contractors. Roofing had the second highest fatality rate of all occupations in the United States in 2022 (according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics), and roofing contractors consistently struggle to recruit skilled labor. By doubling productivity, Renovate is empowering contractors to increase their revenue without scaling beyond their existing roofing crews.

Renovate believes automation is the future of the roofing industry, and is focused on building the biggest roofing technology organization in the world.

“We’re already making improvements to Rufus, and will bring a lighter, faster, and more reliable version to market in the spring of 2024. This next version will be used on real job sites, helping roofing crews work safer and more productively.” – Andy Stulc, Founder and CEO of Renovate Robotics.

Renovate will first pilot the technology as a subcontractor, working with select roofing contractors to complete residential re-roof projects in the spring of 2024. The company is also exploring opportunities to bring the technology to the new construction and manufactured home industries.

Rufus is designed to be modular – while Renovate is starting with automated asphalt shingle installation, Rufus is capable of performing additional tasks. Renovate’s roadmap includes capability for shingle tear off and shingle cutting. Additionally, Renovate will bring functionality to automate bracket installation for rack and panel solar systems, as well as automated solar shingle installation.

“Today’s announcement reflects the huge amount of progress our team has made over the past year. Rufus can already navigate around roof planes and automatically install shingles using AI – but this is just the beginning,” said founder and CEO Andy Stulc. “We have an exciting roadmap ahead of us, and are excited to continue launching products that bring value to all parts of the roofing industry.”

Renovate Robotics is open to collaborating with customers and industry partners on defining the future of the roofing industry. Today’s announcement comes in advance of February’s International Roofing Expo (IRE) and International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas, Nevada. IRE attendees can find us at booth #9113, and IBS attendees can find us in the Startup Zone on the show floor.

ABOUT RENOVATE ROBOTICS
Renovate Robotics is an early stage roofing technology startup focused on improving worker productivity and safety. Renovate was founded by Andy Stulc, an engineer who previously built the machines that build planes like the 777X. Andy also spent time as an early stage engineer at automation startups Creator and Continuous Composites. Andy is joined by co-founder Dylan Crow, a former investor at SOSV, a $1.5B AUM deep tech fund. Renovate Robotics is backed by top investors across the robotics, climate, and built environment industries. These include AlleyCorp, New System Ventures, SOSV, Grit
Ventures, Uphonest Capital, and Climate Capital.

Roofing Technology Think Tank Announces 2023 Innovator of the Year

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The award recognizes a roofing contractor who contributes to the advancement of the roofing industry.

York, Pennsylvania, December 4, 2023 –- Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3), a group of progressive roofing professionals focused on technology solutions for the roofing industry, awarded the 2023 Innovator of the Year award to John Kiesel, president of Division 7 Roofing in Galena, Ohio. The award was announced during the 2023 Best of Success Conference in Frisco, Texas.

“John’s development and use of photogrammetry and 3D models as well as augmented reality is leading the industry into the future,” stated Anna Anderson, CEO of Art Unlimited, RT3 Award Task Team Leader and past RT3 Board President. “In addition, he is sharing these technologies with local trade schools and hiring summer interns to show the appeal of a career in roofing.”

Kiesel began roofing at the age of 17 working for his father’s roofing business. He worked his way up from field worker to superintendent to general manager and today is president of Division 7 Roofing. “I feel the pain of roofing and recognize that when innovation or technology is able to disrupt the barbaric nature of roofing, I embrace that and I want to see roofing be a more accommodating career,” he said.

Congratulations to John Kiesel and Division 7 Roofing on being named the 2023 Innovator of the Year.

About Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3)
Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) strives to find innovative technology solutions to be used within the roofing industry.  RT3 provides insights from progressive thought leaders both inside and outside the roofing industry along with practical resources for implementing potential solutions successfully. The organization will encourage and enable contractors to embrace technology as they seek to grow their businesses.  With a commitment to disseminate technology advancement information, RT3 will help build the professionalism and appeal of the roofing industry. Learn more at www.rt3thinktank.com.

Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) Announces New Technology Resources for Contractors

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These one-of-a-kind tools were created to help contractors successfully navigate the roofing technology landscape.

September 20, 2023 – Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3), a group of progressive roofing professionals focused on technology solutions for the roofing industry, announced the availability of technology resources for roofing contractors to help them successfully navigate their technology journey.

Developed by members of the RT3 Technology Task Team, the resources feature three key components:

  1. Business Maturity Guide – designed to help contractors understand where their business’s maturity level to help them develop strategies, plans and technology that support continued growth and success.
  2. Technology Landscape – a comprehensive guide to help contractors understand cutting-edge software tools specifically tailored for their needs. It defines industry technology solutions, the problems they solve, what questions to ask of vendors, considerations for scaling and expected price ranges.
  3. Technology Solution Directory* – This is where roofing contractors can browse a collection of tools and apps that can help solve their most urgent business issues.

“We are extremely excited to offer this one-of-a-kind resource to the roofing industry,” said Karen Edwards, director of RT3. “The Task Team members worked together for the last 18 months both in-person and virtually to create these resources. We were very intentional in assembling the information from the perspective of an independent third party without recommending one solution over another.”

Technology providers are encouraged to submit their solutions to be included in the RT3 Solutions Directory. They do not need to be a member of RT3 to have their listing included in the directory. The directory is designed to allow peers to comment on each solution and leave feedback that can help other roofing contractors in their technology journey.

The RT3 Technology Resources are available in an interactive format on the RT3 website and also available as a downloadable PDF. They can be accessed here: rt3thinktank.com/resources

*Disclaimer: RT3 does not endorse any of these solutions but provides the platform for the industry to share their information and leave reviews and feedback that could be useful to others.

About Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3)
Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) strives to find innovative technology solutions to be used within the roofing industry.  RT3 provides insights from progressive thought leaders both inside and outside the roofing industry along with practical resources for implementing potential solutions successfully. The organization will encourage and enable contractors to embrace technology as they seek to grow their businesses.  With a commitment to disseminate technology advancement information, RT3 will help build the professionalism and appeal of the roofing industry. Learn more at www.rt3thinktank.com.

RT3 Member Mycocycle Featured on RE:TV as Inspiring Innovation

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RE:TV highlights inspiring innovations and ideas that are emerging in response to the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Mycocycle, Inc., a leader in using mycoremediation to process toxins out of waste was featured in an episode on RE:TV, an initiative founded by His Majesty King Charles III in 2020 at the World Economic Forum (then HRH the Prince of Wales) to spotlight change makers around the world. The platform seeks innovations that are inspired by nature to address the challenges of the climate crisis.

Mycocycle’s process of using fungi to transform waste materials into a reusable resource captured the attention of RE:TV because of its ability to dramatically reduce the negative impact that the construction industry has on the environment. The resulting biomaterial that is produced is both fire- and water-resistant and can be used in the manufacture of many new products, including building materials, resulting in a true closed-loop ecosystem.

“The waste generated in the construction industry takes up space in landfills and can leach toxins into the air, water and soil,” Mycocyle CEO and Founder Joanne Rodriguez explained in the episode. “For every ton of waste that we treat, we are able to reduce CO2 emissions by almost three metric tons.” The Mycocycle spotlight can be watched on RE:TV’s website.

About Mycocycle

Mycocycle, Inc. is a nature-inspired and woman-owned biotechnology startup that leverages fungi to transform industrial waste into reusable materials. Founded in 2018, the company is on a mission to drive circularity in the construction supply chain and divert waste from landfills with its innovative solution. Mycocycle blends lab-cultivated fungi with debris at the point of waste generation to detoxify hard-to-recycle building materials and turn them into new raw materials. Its customers include companies across the waste management, recycling, and manufacturing industries, as well as companies focused on reducing Scope 3 emissions.

In 2023, Mycocycle was issued a Declare label for its “MycoFILL© G” materials through the International Living Futures Institute, which recognized its products as Red List Chemical Free. Mycocycle is a FastCompany World Changing Ideas finalist and its CEO has been honored as a Environment + Energy Leader Top 100 Leader, Crain’s Chicago Top 50 Sustainability Executive and named to the inaugural Forbes Next 1000 list. To learn more visit www.mycocycle.com.

5 Ways AI Is Revolutionizing Roof Inspections

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BY RT3 MEMBER PHIL PRATT

Did you know that hail drives more property damage in the U.S. than just about anything else? In fact, wind and hail account for between 40-50 percent of homeowner’s insurance claims each year. That’s the bad news. Here’s the better news: artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling fast and accurate hail damage detection, speeding up claims and repairs.  

The days of manual inspections that required workers to climb on ladders and walk around on damaged roofs are fortunately fading into the rearview. Now, workers can use drones coupled with AI-powered systems in order to analyze imagery for rooftop hail damage. These inspections are not only faster, more accurate, and cost-effective, they are also much safer. Here are 5 advantages of using AI technology for roof inspections:

  1. Faster and more efficient inspections: With AI-powered systems, workers can inspect rooftops more quickly and efficiently than they could using traditional methods. AI can analyze a large number of images in a short amount of time and identify hail damage with high accuracy. This not only saves time but also reduces the costs associated with inspections.
  2. Consistency and accuracy: AI systems are designed to be consistent in their analysis. This allows the user to reduce the number of photographs to only the ones that have a high likelihood of hail strikes in the imagery. This speeds up the inspection process and makes the analyst’s job easier and faster.
  3. Remote inspections: With AI-powered systems, it is possible to perform inspections remotely. This means inspectors do not need to be on the roof to detect hail damage. Instead, drones or other aerial vehicles equipped with cameras can capture images of the roof, which can then be analyzed by an AI algorithm. This not only makes inspections safer but also reduces the need for physical access to the roof, and allows for third-party pilots to be utilized for the initial inspection.
  4. Predictive analytics: With enough data, AI algorithms can use historical data to predict the likelihood of future hail damage. This can help property owners and insurance companies proactively address potential issues before they become significant problems. By detecting hail damage early, repairs can be made quickly and at a lower cost.
  5. Cost-effective: AI-powered inspections are generally more cost effective than traditional inspections. With AI, the need for manual labor is significantly reduced, which can save money on labor costs. Additionally, AI-powered systems can detect hail damage that may not be visible to the naked eye, which can prevent more costly repairs down the road.

The benefits of using AI to analyze imagery to identify rooftop hail damage improves analyst workflows and creates a more efficient way to identify hail damage than traditional methods. As technology continues to evolve, it’s likely that AI-powered inspections will become even more prevalent in the roofing industry. The applications are endless, but AI still has a long way to go before it completely replaces human analysts.These tools do wonders for creating efficiencies for roofing and insurance companies looking to understand the full scope of hail damage on a rooftop. To learn more about Zeitviews AI solutions for roofing inspections, visit us at Zeitview.com/roofing 

Immersive Experiences at the Oracle Innovation Lab

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RT3 members explore technology in one of the most innovative labs in the world.

The Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) is committed to learning about new, emerging technologies and how these technologies may be leveraged in the roofing industry. They meet several times a year to experience the latest innovations and understand how they might advance the roofing industry as a whole.

On May 16 RT3 members met at the Oracle Innovation Lab in Deerfield, Illinois to participate in immersive experiences at the lab. According to an information sheet provided by Oracle, “The Oracle Industry Lab is a unique idea incubator designed to help businesses in a variety of industries tackle their most complex challenges. At locations around the world, we work side by side with our customers and technology partners in hands-on simulated industry settings to turn bold ideas into powerful solutions they can implement and use today.”

Manufacturing and AI

One of the experiences was a manufacturing and transportation focus, where artificial intelligence was being used for quality control in a manufacturing environment. Strategically positioned cameras would monitor the production of materials and issue an alert if abnormalities were spotted in the item being made. Drones were deployed to fly autonomous missions to count inventory. In the use case in the lab, the drone would fly to a stack of pipes, take a photo and count the number of pipes, delivering the count to inventory software in the lab.

Models demonstrated how fleets of trucks could be outfitted with technology to monitor their performance, efficiency, locations and health. The technology can alert the company to potential delays or problems before they happen, allowing them to take action.

Mark Mortimer tries the exoskeleton

Connected Tools

Oracle partner Hilti was on site to demonstrate their line of connected tools. They have eliminated the need for electric cords by using smart batteries to power the tools. The tools are able to be monitored using an app on a smartphone that provides detailed information about the use of the tool and the GPS capabilities of the battery can provide the tool’s exact location. This feature was extremely helpful lto one contractor whose tools were stolen from their truck. The app was able to provide information on their whereabouts and the contractor was able to recover the stolen items. 

Hilti also has an exoskeleton that helps support the upper body when doing repetitive work overhead. Members were able to try on the exoskeleton and experience the difference. The company has another exoskeleton in the works that will provide support for the knees, hips and lower body.

Greg Bloom experiencing VR in a building model.

Virtual Reality and Wearables

VR headsets were donned by members as they experienced how a digital model of the Innovation Lab was used to identify a potential issue and correct it during the design phase – before construction was even started.

New Oracle partner RealWear had a hardhat equipped with a smart eye that allowed the person wearing the hat to use voice commands to take photos and share data about the condition of a roof or a job site. By freeing up both hands and eliminating the need to enter data into a smartphone or tablet, the user is safer on the job and more efficient.

Smart Suite

The energy and utilities section of the lab featured a model of a smart kitchen and living area that helps consumers understand their energy usage and ways that they might be more sustainable and energy smart. A Tesla battery wall stores electricity generated by the solar panels on the roof of the lab and holds enough electricity to power the lab for four hours should they experience a power outage.

Smart Scheduling

The command center at the lab has state-of the-art monitors and technology where the Primavera P6 scheduling software was demonstrated. Integrations with Esri and other data sources allow for the identification of potential issues that could arise during a project. The example was for the installation of a utility line, where upon examining the data, we were able to determine that there was farm that would experience disruption as well as a creek that would need navigated during the installation. This allowed for adjustment of the schedule with a more accurate timeline to allow for those issues to be addressed.

After the immersive experiences, members gathered to discuss what was learned throughout the morning and how it might translate into roofing. They also identified challenges that the industry may face in adopting some of these concepts and plan to work on providing information and education to help the industry integrate tech solutions more efficiently.

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a member or participating in future meetups, visit rt3thinktank.com and choose Join RT3.

RT3 member Kelly Roofing goes global with first international Tesla Solar Roof

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This installation has opened up new possibilities for the next steps in solar roofing installations.

Kelly Roofing has completed the first-ever international Tesla Solar Roof installation, marking a significant milestone in green energy innovation. The Florida-based company managed negotiations, logistics and operations to extend its services into the international field, starting on the island of Nevis in the West Indies. This installation has opened up worldwide possibilities for the next steps in solar roofing installations for Kelly Roofing.

“This job is the pay off of years of work and innovation, it’s incredible to watch it come to life,” said Kelly Roofing President Ken Kelly. “Our team has been working with Tesla on building the solar roof deployment process from the ground up since they began developing it in 2019. Roofing innovation is what we do. It’s what we’ve been known for for the last fifty years at Kelly Roofing. This client, and this job have brought us to a new level and let us begin to really see the fruit of that labor.”

Installing a Tesla Solar Roof internationally required an intricate, multi-faceted and carefully honed system to complete. Kelly Roofing worked with the customer to understand their goals and negotiated a general price for the raw job. They then navigated duty and tariffs, shipping fees, customs fees, holding fees and transportation fees. The company’s prior experience in these logistics laid the groundwork for the job in Nevis and made the job seamless for the customer.

“We had the advantage of having solid shipping partners in place and a tested process, it was a matter of fitting the pieces together strategically for what this client needed,” Ken Said.

The Kelly Roofing team’s extensive experience in navigating Florida’s stringent roofing codes allowed them to navigate the legal hurdles of Nevis’s roofing regulations. The team also partnered with a local contracting team to ease relations with the government and the local community, providing on-the-job training and bringing the job to life.

The Tesla system is unique in its durability and innovation as well. It is connected to an app that is designed to be intuitive for the homeowner, helping control power consumption and usage. The roofs are also designed to last over time, making them hurricane-force-wind resistant and impact resistant to hail. Each tile is independent, allowing for expansion and contraction in extreme temperatures.

“The Tesla system gives peace of mind to our clients. We saw roofs come out of Hurricane Ian basically untouched and the Powerwall system kept up. There were entire blocks where neighbors were charging their phones at the only house with a Tesla Solar Roof because no one else had power,” Ken added.

For the homeowner, the Tesla Solar Roof came with a host of benefits, including ease of use and unmatched durability that provide an excellent return on their investment. In Nevis, the homeowner was able to take their home off-grid without interfering with the quality of their day-to-day life.

Kelly Roofing is now vetting and accepting new international Tesla Solar Roof jobs and is thankful and honored to have been a part of building this customer’s home.

Contact us today at 239.228.3276 or by email at: mail@kellyroofing.com for more information.

About Kelly Roofing

Kelly Roofing is an award-winning, Florida-based, international roofer that has been on the cutting edge of roofing innovation since 1972. They are a Top 100 Roofing Contractor and have been recognized as America’s Roofing Contractor of the Year. Kelly Roofing holds dozens of awards including the Roofing Think Tank Innovator of the Year and Fastest Growing Roofing Company in America Award. The company lives by the idea that the values of care, communication and consistency are the pathways to innovation and outstanding workmanship. Kelly Roofing is a certified Tesla Solar Roof installer and has leveraged this partnership to launch into the international solar roofing market.

Innovator of the Year Nominee Profile: John Kiesel, Division 7 Roofing & Imagine Technologies

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“If you can dream it, you can have it.”

Each year, RT3 receives so many great nominations for its Innovator of the Year award, but ultimately there can only be one winner. This is why we decided to spotlight some of those who should be recognized with an honorable mention.

John Kiesel began roofing at the age of 17 working for his father’s roofing business. He worked his way up from field worker to superintendent to general manager and today is president of Division 7 Roofing.  “I feel the pain of roofing and recognize that when innovation or technology is able to disrupt the barbaric nature of roofing, I embrace that and I want to see roofing be a more accommodating career,” he said.

The innovation and technology that John went on to create to improve the industry almost didn’t happen. When he was in need of a superintendent, a very bright individual applied and was hired. They had a roofing background and also shared some ideas on 3D models and visualization. It turned out that this bright individual wasn’t suited for the field, but rather than terminate their employment, John decided to give them a chance to see if the 3D modeling idea could help his roofing company. They thought that maybe flying a drone and creatively creating a scene could deliver value to their business and to their customers.

John invested in this idea for a year to develop resources, the technology platform, and whatever else was needed in order to get this from what seemed sketchy at first to an awesome deliverable. And once they saw the deliverable, and how it was improving their processes, reducing time, improving estimating, saving them from safety infractions, they knew they needed to make this a product and share it with the rest of the industry.

John wanted to deliver a tool to contractors where they could hire intellectual people and bring them into the industry with a starting point that wasn’t as difficult as his own. This is how Imagine Technologies was born.

The company uses photogrammetry and 3D models to enable more accurate everything across a roofing contractor’s business. It’s able to be put into an augmented reality environment as well that really helps customers understand their roof and what is happening on it.

John says that the development and implementation of this technology has shifted the culture in their company. They look at problems and now ask themselves if technology can fix it.

He is also taking this technology into the trade schools to change their mindsets about careers in roofing. Many youth never thought of it as an option but after seeing the technology, they are clamoring for summer internships with the company.

John believes in giving back to his community and supporting industry organizations like National Women in Roofing. They sponsor a local minor league baseball team and arranged for their local NWiR council to throw out the first pitch. They also organized a diaper drive for a nonprofit where people would get a ‘buy one get one free’ ticket to the game if they brought a pack of diapers. The minor league team also uses the technology John developed to power their virtual seating chart which allows fans to see the view from their seat before purchasing a ticket.

John truly believes that the roofing industry is a blue ocean for technology change and says, “if you can dream it, you can have it.”

Learn more about Division 7 Roofing and Imagine Technologies.