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Industry History

The History of Window-Cleaning Drones

Window-cleaning drones took shape between 2014 and 2019. A 2014 patent filing described an aerial vehicle that washes windows through a fluid tether. Aerones showed a window-washing drone in 2018, and Lucid began renting cleaning drones in 2019. Today crews in dozens of countries clean building glass with them.

5 min read
Apellix cleaning drone spraying the blue glass facade of a mid-rise building.

2014

Patent priority for a window-washing aerial vehicle

The filing describes a tether that carries fluid up to the aircraft.

[01]

Facade robots come first

Glass towers drew automation ideas before drones did. In October 2015, University of Twente spin-off KITE Robotics announced a public demonstration of a cable-steered window-cleaning robot on a glass campus building, with a reach of around 80 metres.

Skyline Robotics was founded in 2017. Its Ozmo pairs a robot arm with a building's own cradle, and in August 2024 it was deployed at a 45-story Manhattan building, 1133 Avenue of the Americas.

Evidence [1][2]

[02]

Aircraft take on the work

A patent filing with a June 3, 2014 priority date describes an aerial vehicle that performs tasks on a surface. It names washing windows and spraying water, soap and cleaning solution, and it describes a tether with a liquid channel.

In March 2018, TechCrunch profiled Latvian startup Aerones and its giant tethered drones. By December 2018, Aerones showed a three-meter-wide, 12-rotor drone with hoses and sponges, power from a ground battery and water from a ground tank.

Evidence [3][4][5]

[03]

Lucid brings drones to operators

Lucid was founded in 2018. On August 27, 2019, TechCrunch described its cleaning drone: a hose tether runs from a ground tank to the aircraft, the drone was built for buildings up to 120 feet tall, and the company was in Y Combinator's Summer 2019 batch.

Lucid announced a $9.1 million Series A on May 8, 2024, and a $20 million Series B on March 25, 2026.

Evidence [6][7][8]

[04]

Window work goes worldwide

Droneify, formerly The Sky Guys, added drone window cleaning and a licensing program on November 8, 2024. Lucid lists a window payload for the Sherpa.

KTV Working Drone serves 68 countries. In September and October 2026 it cleaned the facade and windows of the STRABAG headquarters in Bratislava and the windows of the Euromast in Rotterdam.

Evidence [9][10][11]

Sources

  1. [1]University of Twente: KITE Robotics window-cleaning robot launch
  2. [2]The Robot Report: Skyline Robotics deploys Ozmo in New York City
  3. [3]U.S. Patent 9,611,038 and 2014 priority record
  4. [4]TechCrunch: Aerones makes really big drones (March 17, 2018)
  5. [5]Digital Trends: Window-washing drone for towers (December 19, 2018)
  6. [6]TechCrunch: Lucid's drone is built to clean the outside of your house or office (August 27, 2019)
  7. [7]Lucid Bots Series A financing announcement
  8. [8]Lucid Bots Series B financing announcement
  9. [9]DroneLife: Droneify expands into drone-powered window cleaning
  10. [10]Lucid Bots Sherpa cleaning drone
  11. [11]KTV Working Drone

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