Autonomous Units leaves the StartUp Hub
Autonomous Units left the Odense Robotics StartUp Hub at the end of last month with their Dry Mist Disinfection Robot DMD4000 now finalised. The startup developed the robot over their 12 months in the Hub at the Danish Technological Institute, which accelerated the development of the mobile robot – the first of its kind on the market.
Autonomous Units’ Dry Mist Disinfection Robot uses dry mist consisting of water and hydrogen peroxide to disinfect all surfaces and all nook and crannies in a room – removing all bacteria, virus, mold and spores. The robot is autonomous and does not require any manual operation once set up. With the DMD4000, areas are thoroughly disinfected at the highest efficacy level – resulting in bacteria-free and safe environments, and requires no staff, reducing labour costs.
The DMD4000 is also equipped with 360-degree safety scanners that enable the robot to adjust to its surroundings and evade obstacles and collisions. The idea for the robot first came to Founder Flemming Thinggaard in the summer of 2020 and soon afterwards the company was established, before entering the StartUp Hub September that year. The startup entered the Hub with the first prototype ready and left one year later with a completed product.
“The robotics expertise we received from the Danish Technological Institute and Odense Robotics ensured the acceleration of our tech and business development. Thanks to the Hub, we could ensure the final hardware and software development of our robot, but we also received strategy and risk assessment guidance, and info on how to adhere to regulations within mobile robotics and autonomous organic disinfection,” says Flemming Thinggaard, Founder and CTO of Autonomous Units.
The startup also received a grant from Innovation Fund Denmark while in the Hub.
What’s next?
Autonomous Units entered the Hub with three employees and left with a team of nine – including interns and the two co-founders Karsten Thinggaard (CEO) and Søren Johannes Bjerre (CCO). Having settled into their headquarters in Langeskov close to Tiegtenbyen, the team is now focusing on their business and sales models, and distribution channels.
“We believe that now that people are back at their jobs and past the worst of the COVID-19 scare, they are thinking about how to improve safety and health standards by automating. And this is where we can make a difference,” says Flemming Thinggaard.
“We have been focusing on sectors where disinfection is a priority – and where they want to automate to optimise, in hospital environments and the like, but we are also looking to other sectors where large scale disinfection has not been done before – such as in offices, hotels, fitness centers. etc. The possibilities are endless.”
Over the next year, Autonomous Units hopes to establish the DMD4000 on the market in Denmark and expand their distribution network in Europe.
Robotics environment in the Hub and Denmark
“We greatly appreciated the network and environment in the StartUp Hub – not only from the Hub partners, but also from the other startups in the Hub. People with the same drive, values and passion like us that we could learn from – and the fact that we could use each other as idea sounding boards was a fantastic bonus of being in the Hub. We are very pleased that this energy and network also exist outside of the StartUp Hub – and we definitely strive to be as much a part of the robotics environment as possible,” says Flemming Thinggaard.
Learn more about Autonomous Units
Learn more about the Odense Robotics StartUp Hub
Or contact:
Peter Smedegaard, Business Development Manager, Startups, Odense Robotics
Phone: +45 92 82 52 02, mail: psm@odenserobotics.dk