Venture Kick supports Borobotics with 150,000 Swiss francs
Venture Kick is funding the development of an innovative drilling robot by Borobotics with 150,000 Swiss francs. It enables the drilling of holes for geothermal heating systems next to buildings in a small space and at significantly lower cost.
Borobotics from Winterthur has received 150,000 Swiss francs from Venture Kick for the further development of its innovative drilling robot after reaching the third stage of the programme. In response to the problem of the previously energy-intensive and expensive drilling of holes for geothermal probes, Borobotics is revolutionising geothermal heating processes with a drilling robot that can work in up to 90 per cent less space and at significantly lower cost, according to a media release.
In addition to the high costs and large space requirements, previous methods bring disadvantages such as energy intensity, inaccuracy, noise pollution and landscape destruction, according to the release. Borobotics describes its development as “an earthworm-like robot that moves vertically into the earth” without a rig or drill pipe. It is intended to enable a much wider spread of geothermal heating.
Borobotics emerged from a research project at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, according to the release. The start-up wants to invest the 150,000 Swiss francs in several drilling tests of its robot in order to be able to present a functioning prototype at the geothermal energy trade fair GeoTHERM 2024 in Offenburg during demonstration drillings on 29 February and 1 March 2024.