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.