Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 82 posts

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#71

Post by sacrosancty »

gridspy wrote: post #18

Amazing. Almost makes me want to move to the states (from NZ) to work with you. Always gratifying to see a job posting where you tick every box. What a great automation environment! Almost clean-slate too, you don't need to integrate with a patchwork of other solutions that are different per site. Robots as a service is definitely the way to go. Much lower apparent risk for your clients, less support costs for out of…

We have some agricultural robot startups. Have a look around. I think the future of robots doing a lot of on-site moving-stuff-from-A-to-B and looking-at-things tasks in a lot of industries is coming now. It's technologically feasible and traditionally labor heavy work. NZ has mainly ag, so ag robots for us ;) It surely helps that farm labor is expensive and scarce here too. We don't have the luxury of under-the-table Mexican migrant workers.

I agree though that being in NZ seems to stunt you as an engineer. America appears to be overflowing with incredible companies that even normal people, not only "rockstars" can work at.

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#72

Post by jhoechtl »

Wow, this is huge.

As an innocent little child I dreamed of a world where robots will produce all life essential things, primarily food, houses (shelter). Apparently here we have Robots building energy supply.

I also thought that the robots will have to be built by someone and their work wouldn't be free. As a kid I didn't have a solution for that.

We shouldn't equip the robots with to much AI though otherwise they will start to form a league and claim minimal wages ...

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#73

Post by beachy »

sacrosancty wrote: post #71
gridspy wrote: post #18

Amazing. Almost makes me want to move to the states (from NZ) to work with you. Always gratifying to see a job posting where you tick every box. What a great automation environment! Almost clean-slate too, you don't need to integrate with a patchwork of other solutions that are different per site. Robots as a service is definitely the way to go. Much lower apparent risk for your clients, less support costs for out of…

We have some agricultural robot startups. Have a look around. I think the future of robots doing a lot of on-site moving-stuff-from-A-to-B and looking-at-things tasks in a lot of industries is coming now. It's technologically feasible and traditionally labor heavy work. NZ has mainly ag, so ag robots for us ;) It surely helps that farm labor is expensive and scarce here too. We don't have the luxury of under-the-tabl…

> America appears to be overflowing with incredible companies that even normal people, not only "rockstars" can work at.

Access to capital. It's obvious that this venture would require huge investment to achieve profitability, way more than has ever been pumped into any kiwi company prior to turning a profit.

Investors here have a much smaller vision.

It's a shame, because this must be one of the worthiest targets for investment ever on the face of it. But it could never get off the ground in NZ.

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#74

Post by hef19898 »

banks_h wrote: post #33
mrraj wrote: post #27

Interesting idea - having worked in the back office of a solar construction company for a number of years I can see a few challenges. Install labor is relatively cheap but more importantly flexible - relative to the cost of the project install is low double digits %. If a job isn't running smoothly you cut your temps and move your main crew over to another site or send them home if they're local. I would wonder how t…

Definitely, we've experienced workers being sent home for a number of reasons (too cold, too windy, too rainy, materials didn't show up as scheduled). Fortunately with an autonomous system there's no logistical overhead, if some external factor prevents us from working then we aren't stuck covering hundreds of per diems and sending everyone home. Yes, we'll have some equipment depreciation as it's not working, but it…

I'd call that assumption about logistical over-head highly optimistic. Besides all the manual labor still needed before the mounting structure can go up, you still need to set up your "mobile factory". And if that factory isn't working you still incur the fixed costs of said factory. And as things stand, the most robust, flexible and climate tolerant robot to date is still a human. Especially if sad human labor tends to be comparatively cheap.

EDIT: Autonomous forklifts are old tech by now, most container ports are close to be fully automated as are tons of factories all over the world. Heck, we even have automated lawn mowers and hoovers...

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#75

Post by hutzlibu »

boringg wrote: post #45
hutzlibu wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Also keep in mind Central CA in summer is not Massachusetts in November, weather makes all this 10x worse" Important to keep in mind, but I would suspect(and hope), most solar farms will be installed, where it is sunny and dry.

Nah solar installations work across all weather categories. You just have to manage adverse weather (i.e. additional costs). Some climates have better solar production others have higher costs of energy which solar can undermine.

But they work the most efficient in mainly sunny and arid areas, which is why it might make sense, to focus automatic constraction there and then later also adopt to more harsh conditions.

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#77

Post by banks_h »

hef19898 wrote: post #74
banks_h wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely, we've experienced workers being sent home for a number of reasons (too cold, too windy, too rainy, materials didn't show up as scheduled). Fortunately with an autonomous system there's no logistical overhead, if some external factor prevents us from working then we aren't stuck covering hundreds of per diems and sending everyone home. Yes, we'll have some equipment depreciation as it's not working, but it…

I'd call that assumption about logistical over-head highly optimistic. Besides all the manual labor still needed before the mounting structure can go up, you still need to set up your "mobile factory". And if that factory isn't working you still incur the fixed costs of said factory. And as things stand, the most robust, flexible and climate tolerant robot to date is still a human. Especially if sad human labor tends…

I was making a much narrower point above, just that there isn't additional overhead involved in shutting down for a day with our system, as opposed to sending hundreds of workers home which does happen today. Absolutely as you mentioned there's overhead in general involved with delivery, setup, teardown, and supervision.

And yes, as you said there is still the lost time value of money associated with any equipment that's not doing productive work.

Re: Launch HN: Charge Robotics (YC S21) - Robots that build solar farms

#78

Post by cmuell89 »

justicz wrote: post #39
cmuell89 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that this is the same age-old problem. Automation in construction has failed more often than not in scenarios that require a high-level of engineering and/or exhibit complex tasking on-site. Your second listed article provides a good rationale for the failure of automation to infiltrate construction: mechanization. Many of the on-site build requirements for construction application are much more complicate…

Thanks for putting this together! This is basically what we would've written. There are many aspects of solar construction that make it a much more robot-friendly environment to operate in than that of a generic construction site (detailed engineering drawings with GPS locations of piles, graded terrain, low number of obstacles). And as you mentioned, we're eliminating a lot of variables by bringing a portable factor…

Gotta look out for my fellow roboticists ;)
Post reply on HN