Q-Bot raises £3m for international expansion

The UK-based robotics company, which has developed vehicles to remotely apply underfloor insulation, has raised £3m to fund the next stage of its growth.

The funding was provided by Wealth Club, EMV Capital, and Foundamental, with continued support from existing investors.

Q-Bot will use the £3m to hire more employees, expand its technology portfolio, improve marketing support, and begin international expansion, with its first stop being France.

Q-Bot’s CEO, Mathew Holloway said the technology is being used to “transform processes across the construction sector”, and added the firm’s customer-led approach, paired with a “unique combination of robotics, AI and building expertise”, has allowed the team to identify a “huge commercial opportunity to disrupt the status quo” and “strengthen the potential to have a positive social and environmental impact.”

As well as providing underfloor insulation to reduce heat loss, Q-Bot uses robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies across a range of applications to inspect, monitor and maintain the health of buildings. These include advanced manufacturing and 3D printing techniques, 3D mapping of environments with automatic categorisation of features, as well as tools to manage the data collected.

The firm has also developed a vehicle called SurveyBot, which allows inspection of assets and infrastructure in a range of environments within the construction industry, that are either hazardous or physically impractical for a human to enter. The bot builds up an accurate 3D textured model, which includes visual and thermal information and identifies hazards or obstacles.

SurveyBot builds up an accurate 3D textured model, which includes visual and thermal information and identifies hazards or obstacles

The company has worked with Hexagon Housing Association, Camden Council, Metropolitan Housing Trust, Argyll Community Housing Association, Homes Newcastle, Cardiff City Council, as well as private landlords and others across the country.

Foundamental’s managing partner, Rani Saad said Q-Bot is “remarkable not just for its prolific development of cutting-edge technology”, but also for its “success in commercialising these solutions at scale.”