Zachy Hennessey
October 22, 2024

A fleet of autonomous drones has been dispatched to Germany with a singular purpose: cleaning the glass roofs of train stations. 

This unusual deployment is not a scene from a science-fiction novel, but the latest innovation from Israeli startup BladeRanger.

The Ramat Gan-based company’s high-tech drones, originally designed for inspecting and cleaning solar panels, are tackling a problem that has long plagued Deutsche Bahn’s German Railway Infrastructures Company: how to efficiently clean and maintain the vast expanses of glass roofing on its 5,400 train stations across Germany.

Following a competition organized by Mindbox, Deutsche Bahn’s innovation division, BladeRanger was invited to participate in a paid pilot program to clean train station roofs as a proof of concept.

The 100-day pilot, which earned BladeRanger 25,000 euros, showed that the technology could indeed clean glass roofs that were previously inaccessible to manual cleaners due to safety concerns.

A drone cleans a German train station. Photo courtesy of BladeRanger
A drone cleans a German train station. Photo courtesy of BladeRanger

“We demonstrated the ability to successfully clean one or two of their train stations, along with analyzing conditions with our AI software that analyzes not just the level of dirt and soiling on the roof, but also if there are all kinds of cracks or if there’s rust on the connection between the different parts of the glass,” says Oded Fruchtman, BladeRanger’s CEO.

This comprehensive approach impressed the Deutsche Bahn team, leading to approval for further work on two train stations over the next 12 months.

A painful pivot

BladeRanger’s journey began in 2015, with the development of non-flying robotic cleaners, a project that spanned nearly a decade. 

However, the company recently pivoted, moving from ground-based robots to airborne drones via a strategic merger with Solar Drone, an aptly named Israeli company developing autonomous drone-based technology for planning, monitoring, maintaining, securing and cleaning solar panels based on technologies such as image generation, AI, machine learning, data mining, real-time alerts and more.

The choice was a logical one but wasn’t easy to make.

“It was a painful change because, you know, we worked on [developing robotic cleaners] for nine years,” Fruchtman tells ISRAEL21c. 

“Eventually we cracked it, and the robot worked. But only for a very narrow niche market,” he says, noting that putting every egg in the “commercial and industrial solar panel” market basket was a recipe for failure in the long run.

This limitation in market scope prompted the company to explore more versatile solutions, leading them to drone technology.

A drone, Fruchtman says, is “more versatile, more flexible. You can basically clean whatever you want with it. The only restriction comes from getting the approval to fly the drone.”

With the added flexibility offered by the drones, the company is planning to move from exclusively cleaning solar panels — as evidenced by its pilot program in Germany.

Challenges and prospects

Despite these recent achievements, BladeRanger faces significant challenges, particularly in the regulatory sphere. 

Obtaining approvals for drone flights, especially for cleaning buildings and other structures, remains a major hurdle. 

The company is working diligently, Fruchtman says, on developing necessary safety features for its 85-kilogram drone to ensure it doesn’t pose risks to people or property.

An autonomous drone makes quick work of solar panel cleaning. Screenshot via BladeRanger
An autonomous drone makes quick work of solar panel cleaning. Screenshot via BladeRanger

In the meantime, following its merger with Solar Drone, BladeRanger has capitalized on its enhanced market position by holding a public offering, successfully raising about $1.5 million, bringing the company’s total funding to $10 million.

This influx of capital, combined with the expanded technological portfolio, puts the 18-employee company in a strong position to scale up its operations and explore new markets as it continues on the path to profitability.

Looking to the future, Fruchtman is cautious but optimistic: “Being a public company, you generate interest and business. So we’re constantly thinking about how to grow — not just organically, but also via mergers and acquisitions.”

With its autonomous drones taking to the skies, BladeRanger is poised to cast a long shadow in the world of clean technology — and hopefully that shadow will fall on some cleaner roofs, too.

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Jason Harris

Jason Harris

Executive Director

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