TL;DR

The drone industry is maturing fast as startups shift from pilots to repeatable commercial deployments across agriculture, infrastructure, and industrial operations. At the same time, new U.S. security rules are reshaping the market by limiting foreign-made drones, increasing pressure on domestic manufacturers to scale. Meanwhile, platforms like NVIDIA’s physical AI stack are accelerating real-world robotics adoption, reinforcing the move toward reliable, production-ready systems rather than experimental tech.

Drone startups set sights on sustained growth in 2026

Drone startups are heading into 2026 expecting steadier growth as the industry moves beyond experimentation and into repeatable commercial deployments. Founders say the next phase will be defined less by pilots and more by long-term contracts, performance at scale, and reliable operations across real job sites. Clearer regulations and increased demand for domestically produced systems have helped reduce uncertainty and attract new investment. While defense remains a key driver, companies serving agriculture, infrastructure, logistics, and commercial cleaning and inspection are also positioning themselves for broader adoption by offering bundled hardware, software, and services designed for professional use.

Major Takeaway: Drone startups are shifting from early trials to commercial traction, with growth increasingly tied to reliability, long-term customer relationships, and real-world applications such as industrial facility operations and commercial services in 2026. Read More

FCC foreign drone ban could impact U.S. farmers

The Federal Communications Commission has placed new restrictions on foreign-made drones and components, effectively blocking many new models from being authorized for sale or import in the United States. The move, driven by national security concerns, means drones that dominate agriculture and commercial facility operations may no longer be available unless approved by U.S. security agencies. Farmers and industry groups warn the timing could be difficult, as many rely on drones for precision spraying, mapping, crop monitoring, and other automated workflows. While drones already in use remain legal, limited replacement options could increase costs and uncertainty for operators who depend on drones as core infrastructure.

Major Takeaway: A security-driven policy shift is colliding with industries that rely on drones as essential tools, including agriculture and commercial operations. The ruling highlights how urgently domestic manufacturing must scale to support precision farming and other professional drone use cases. Read More

NVIDIA releases new physical AI models as global partners unveil next-generation robots

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, NVIDIA announced a major expansion of its physical_toggle AI stack, unveiling open models, frameworks, and tools designed to accelerate how robots perceive and act in the real world. The company released new open-source models like Cosmos and GR00T to support world understanding and task execution, along with simulation tools that shorten the path from research to deployment. Global partners including Boston Dynamics, Caterpillar, Franka Robotics, and others demonstrated next-generation machines spanning humanoids, industrial robots, and autonomous systems built for factories, warehouses, and industrial facility operations. NVIDIA also introduced new edge hardware designed to support high-performance robotics in environments where reliability and uptime matter.

Major Takeaway: NVIDIA is helping push robotics toward real-world deployment at scale. By combining physical AI, simulation, and edge computing, the company is accelerating adoption in industries that depend on automation for industrial cleaning, inspection, logistics, and facility operations. Read More

About Lucid Bots

Founded in 2018, Lucid Bots is an AI robotics company that is committed to uplifting humanity by building the world's most productive and responsible robots that can do dangerous and demanding tasks.

Headquartered in Charlotte, the company engineers, manufactures, and supports its products domestically, which include the Sherpa, a cleaning drone, and the Lavo, a pressure-washing robot.

Lucid Bots' products are elevating safety and efficiency for a growing number of customers around the world. Lucid is a Y Combinator-backed company, with investments from Cubit Capital, Idea Fund Partners, Danu Ventures, and others. Lucid Bots was recently recognized as the fastest growing robotics manufacturer in the United States.

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Lucid Bots builds U.S-made robots for dirty, dangerous cleaning work. 

On a recent exterior cleaning job, Sherpa Drone stayed in the air for 1 hour and 53 seconds of continuous cleaning at 3,500 PSI and 8 GPM.

No battery swaps.
No landing every few passes.
Just steady exterior cleaning at height while the crew stayed on the ground.

Our CEO, Andrew Ashur, put it simply: this was the longest commercial drone cleaning flight we’ve ever seen – and a big step toward making drones a true all-day tool on real jobsites.

Why this flight matters

Until now, drone cleaning has been limited by batteries.

A typical day with Sherpa Drone looks like:

• Clean for 10–20 minutes
• Land
• Swap batteries
• Take off, line up again
• Repeat

It works, but you lose time and rhythm on every swap. Jobs get planned around chargers and packs instead of just buildings, water, and crew.

With our new power tether, that equation changes.

By feeding power from the ground, it gives Sherpa Drone effectively unlimited flight time: the practical limit on a job is no longer at the fault of the drone batteries. Limitations become things like crew endurance, site scheduling, generator fuel, etc. rather than remaining battery capacity. We’re not removing constraints entirely, but we are moving them off the drone’s batteries.

On this record flight, the drone didn’t come down because the battery was dead. It came down because the section of work was done.

That’s the shift we care about.

What actually happened on the job

This wasn’t a lab test or a parking-lot demo. It was a live exterior cleaning job with all the usual constraints.

On this flight:

• Mode: High-pressure exterior cleaning at height
• Runtime: 1 hour, 53 seconds of effectively continuous work
• Pressure / flow: 3,500 PSI, 8 GPM
• Crew: Operators stayed safely on the ground

Sherpa Drone handled every pass on the wall. The crew focused on:

• Managing hoses and water supply
• Watching for quality of clean
• Keeping eyes on the site, not on battery timers

Under the hood, we paired the power tether with updated onboard power electronics designed for long flights. From the operator’s point of view, though, it felt simple:

“It just stayed up and kept cleaning.”

That’s the experience we’re building toward.

What this unlocks for operators

For contractors, facility managers, and building service companies, this milestone shows up in a few concrete ways.

1. More work per crew per day
With no battery swaps, more of the day is actual cleaning. Sherpa Drone becomes an all-day workhorse for glass, facades, and other exterior surfaces at height.

2. Less time in lifts
Sherpa Drone does the work at height so crews can stay safely on the ground. That means:

• Fewer lifts to rent, move, and maintain
• Fewer people working on edges, roofs, or swing stages

3. Simpler planning
Instead of planning around chargers and packs, you plan around:

• Water
• Generator fuel
• Crew schedules

In other words, the things you already think about on a pressure washing job.

What’s next

This was Lucid’s first and longest exterior cleaning jobsite flight with the power tether. It’s a milestone, not the finish line.

From here, our team is focused on:

• Repeating long-duration flights on more buildings and surfaces
• Gathering real-world feedback from operators
• Making the power tether available to more Sherpa Drone customers

We automate the ordinary, so humans can do the extraordinary.

If you want fewer people in lifts and more work done from the ground, talk with our team about using Sherpa Drone with the power tether on your next job.

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A New Era of Autonomous Cleaning: Lavo AI

Lavo Bot AI brings enterprise-grade autonomy to one of the most demanding exterior maintenance tasks. Using Click-and-Clean™ job templates powered by Lucid OS™, operators can set up, save, and repeat complex cleaning routes with only a few taps, eliminating hours of manual prep work.

With advanced mapping, full-environment sensing, and powered by NVIDIA edge compute, Lavo Bot AI navigates real facilities with confidence and delivers consistent, high-quality cleaning at scale. This is autonomy designed for real job sites, not just controlled environments.

The system can clean up to 6,000 square feet per hour and integrates with commercial pressure washing rigs up to 20 GPM and 4,500 PSI. Early adopters are already seeing what it means to unlock more output without adding more headcount.

Why it matters

Facility teams are being asked to do more with fewer people as the United States janitorial and building maintenance market reaches ~$108B. Labor shortages continue to grow, service expectations are rising, and operators are under pressure to maintain cleaner, safer exterior environments while also reducing costs. Within this market, exterior surface cleaning alone represents $15 to $22B  dollars in recurring annual work, most of which is still performed manually.

Despite the size of the industry, autonomous systems account for well under one percent of all surface cleaning operations today. Most facilities rely on slow and physically demanding manual workflows that limit throughput and make scheduling unpredictable. Lavo Bot AI gives operators an immediate path to higher productivity, consistent quality, and more reliable service delivery. The robot augments crews rather than replacing them and allows existing teams to cover significantly more ground with far less strain, making exterior maintenance more scalable and cost effective.

How It Works

Lavo Bot AI uses the latest NVIDIA edge compute platform to power its autonomy, vision systems, and mapping intelligence. These capabilities allow the robot to move safely through real-world environments and produce enterprise-grade results.

Key capabilities include:

• Autonomy that lasts. Operators can save job areas and rerun them with precise route memory on a recurring schedule.
• Safety for active job sites. Multi-sensor vision systems and zone-based geofencing support safe operation around people and equipment.
• Purpose-built durability. The robot can handle long hose runs and challenging outdoor conditions including grime, gum, grease, and inconsistent surface textures.

Customer perspective

"You recover the investment in just a couple of months," said Francisco Oliveras, owner of PWR Wash PR. "With this approach, you can reduce operating expenses by 40% or more." 

Availability

Limited pilot programs begin this winter, with general availability planned for Q2 2026. Pre‑orders open today. Live demo events are scheduled for January. 

Reserve Yours Now

Schedule a Demo

If you’re running a small building-services or cleaning business, you’ve probably heard some buzz about the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA).

You don’t need to be a tax expert to understand it. This bill is a big win for small business owners investing in equipment that helps them grow.

Here’s what it means in simple terms, and how it could save you thousands when you buy a Sherpa Drone before the end of 2025.

What the Big Beautiful Bill Does

According to EisnerAmper’s Contractor’s Cheat Sheet, the OBBBA makes several long-term updates to U.S. tax law designed to boost construction, maintenance, and building upgrades.

Here are the two most important changes for small business owners buying tools or equipment:

1. Permanent 100% Bonus Depreciation
   
   Contractors and building-services companies can now deduct the full cost of qualifying equipment immediately, starting January 2025.
   
   That means if you buy a Lucid Bots Sherpa Drone, a Sherpa Drone and Tethered system, or our Lavo Bot and Sherpa Drone combo,  you could potentially write off the entire amount this year and not spread it over 5 or 7 years like before.
   
   EisnerAmper notes that this provision now applies to both new and used assets, and it’s permanent, so you get the deduction right away, improving your cash flow.
   
   
2. Expanded Section 179 Deduction
   
   The OBBBA also raises the Section 179 deduction limit to $2.5 million, with a phase-out beginning at $4 million.
   
   Section 179 lets small businesses deduct equipment purchases that are actively used for work. So this is your trucks, pressure washers, and yes even our drones.
   
   As EisnerAmper’s Real Estate update explains, this expansion makes Section 179 far more powerful for smaller operators, especially those upgrading tools, vehicles, or building systems.
   
   

How This Works in Real Life

Let’s say you run a small exterior-cleaning or maintenance company and earned $300,000 in profit this year.

You decide to purchase a Lucid Sherpa Drone for $90,000 in November 2025.

If you qualify under Section 179 or 100% bonus depreciation, you can deduct that full $90,000 from your taxable income lowering your taxable earnings to $210,000.

That could translate to tens of thousands of dollars in tax savings, depending on your state and filing status.

Why Timing Matters

Many of these incentives  like 100% bonus depreciation and the higher Section 179 limits are tied to equipment placed in service after January 2025.

But here’s the key:

Projects and purchases made before the end of 2025 are best positioned to take full advantage of the bill before any future tax adjustments or sunsets kick in.

So, if you’ve been planning to expand your cleaning fleet, the 2025 tax year is your window to buy and deploy your equipment.

Why It’s Perfect for Lucid Bots Customers

Lucid Bots builds robots that help you do more with less. Our Sherpa Drones replace risky, slow manual cleaning work  letting you take on bigger jobs with the same crew.

Because drones like Sherpa qualify as business equipment, they can be deducted under the same rules outlined in EisnerAmper’s OBBBA analyses. That means your investment could reduce your tax bill while expanding your capacity.

And if you’re planning to grow your business in 2026, now might be the perfect time to purchase more than one drone to take more advantage of 2025’s powerful tax incentives before they change.

Important Note

This article is for informational purposes only.

It is not financial or tax advice.

Tax laws can change, and your business situation is unique. Always check with your licensed accountant or tax advisor to confirm eligibility before making purchasing decisions.

Bottom Line

The Big Beautiful Bill was designed to reward small businesses that invest in American infrastructure and that includes companies keeping our buildings clean, bright, and safe.

By purchasing your Lucid Bots drone before December 31, 2025, you can:

• Save big on taxes
• Boost cash flow
• Get to work faster with safer, smarter tech

In short: make 2025 the year your business takes flight  and let the Big Beautiful Bill help fund your future.

3× Faster. Zero Lifts. Same Great Finish.

When VEMAC needed to stain a series of large tilt-up concrete wall panels, they faced the same problem many builders encounter: slow, expensive, and risky work at height. Setting up lifts, repositioning between panels, and sending crews up and down all day consumed time, labor, and budget.

Lucid Bots’ Sherpa Drone changed that.

In a pilot on a 400 sq. ft. panel, Sherpa Drone applied two full coats in just 13 minutes, compared to 44 minutes with a traditional man lift. The crew stayed safely on the ground the entire time.

Sherpa Drone reduced labor time by 70%, eliminated lift use, and proved that vertical finishing can be done faster, safer, and more efficiently.

Why Tilt-Up Matters Now

Tilt-up construction is experiencing a major resurgence, driven by the rapid growth of data centers, logistics hubs, and large-scale industrial buildings.

Developers and general contractors are choosing tilt-up because it’s faster to build, structurally durable, and cost-effective for massive footprints. However, the finishing process—especially staining and coating—remains one of the most time-consuming steps.

That’s where Sherpa Drone comes in. By automating coating at height, Sherpa Drone removes one of the last manual bottlenecks in large-scale concrete construction, helping crews meet the high-speed demands of modern industrial projects.

The Challenge

VEMAC’s teams pride themselves on quality. Their finishing standards demand smooth coverage, consistent color, and no missed areas. But on large tilt-up projects, production speed was limited by lift logistics. Each new panel required new setup, safety checks, and careful maneuvering—costing valuable time across an entire site.

With project timelines tightening and labor costs rising, VEMAC needed a faster, safer, and more scalable way to apply coatings.

The Sherpa Drone Solution

Sherpa Drone is Lucid Bots’ aerial work platform designed for large-scale exterior maintenance and finishing. It replaces lifts and scaffolding with an intelligent, tethered drone system capable of precise spraying, washing, and coating applications at height.

At VEMAC’s El Paso job site, a Sherpa Drone equipped with a stain sprayer module applied two coats of H&C Colortop concrete stain. Operated by a ground pilot and supported by a two-person crew, the drone maintained consistent coverage and uniform finish across the test panel.

The entire process—from takeoff to the final coat—took less than 15 minutes, with no workers leaving the ground.

The Results

The Sherpa Drone dramatically outperforms traditional methods in both efficiency and safety. It completes two coats over 400 sq ft 3.4× faster (13 minutes vs. 44 minutes) while eliminating the need for workers at height, making the process 100% safer. Setup and teardown times drop by 85%, and the drone’s coverage rate improves from 9 to 61 sq ft per minute, a 6.7× increase in productivity.

Safety and Efficiency in One Flight

Each Sherpa Drone flight keeps the entire crew safely on the ground. There are no harnesses, no OSHA lift paperwork, and no exposure to height-related risks.

Crews can focus on mixing, material prep, and quality checks while the Sherpa Drone handles the vertical work. This parallel workflow boosts overall site productivity and reduces downtime.

Real ROI in Minutes

With Sherpa Drone, VEMAC achieved:

• 65%+ reduction in labor hours per panel
• 100% elimination of lift rentals
• 70% reduction in total application time
  

Across a large project with dozens of panels, this performance translates into days of time saved and measurable labor cost reductions.

Why It Matters

For modern contractors, productivity and safety are the key drivers of profitability. Sherpa Drone enables both:

• Speed: Complete vertical coating work up to 3–5× faster
• Safety: Keep every worker on the ground
• Consistency: Smooth, repeatable coverage across every panel
• Flexibility: Swap payloads for painting, staining, washing, or inspection
  

VEMAC’s pilot showed that Sherpa Drone isn’t just a prototype—it’s a practical way to modernize how tilt-up and exterior finishing work gets done.

Looking Ahead

After the success of this pilot, VEMAC is exploring Sherpa Drone for additional applications including media blasting, surface prep, and protective coating. These operations share the same challenge: repetitive, at-height labor that slows projects down.

Sherpa Drone’s ability to automate these tasks at scale positions it as a key tool for the next generation of construction and maintenance workflows.

See It in Action

Ready to skip the lifts?‍

Schedule a live demo and see how Sherpa Drone can cut your labor time in half—or better.

Lucid Bots successfully tested its new application sprayer module to protect the concrete facade at Alcorn State Stadium’s facade in a fraction of the time, validating a safer, faster, and more cost-effective approach to concrete and building envelope protection.

300%  more efficient than traditional methods.
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80% cost savings vs. traditional methods.

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Overview

At Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi, Lucid Bots partnered with contractor FlyByShine to test its next-generation sprayer module designed for drone-based drone-based water repellent application. Using PROSOCO’s industry leading water repellent, Siloxane WB Concentrate, the project demonstrated how Lucid Bots’ technology can transform large-scale concrete protection.

“By the time you scaffold a building like this and put the product on, work through all of any kind of tweaks that need to be done...I would say it’s a lot faster, 20 times”
— Bill Daniel, Prosoco

The Challenge

Traditional Methods Are Too Slow, Risky, and Expensive

Waterproofing stadiums and other vertical concrete assets has always been a costly and time-consuming process. Scaffolding or lifts must be rented and assembled, and workers are sent up as high as 90 feet in the air. This increases liability, slows down timelines, and often discourages facility managers from performing necessary maintenance.

The Solution

Lucid Bots’ Sprayer Module Proves Its Value

Lucid Bots deployed its Sherpa drone with the new application sprayer module to apply Prosoco’s siloxane-based sealer directly to the stadium facade. Partnering with Fly By Shine for on-site operations, Lucid demonstrated that thousands of square feet could be waterproofed in a single day—without scaffolding, lifts, or worker risk at height.

Key Outcomes:

• 4x Faster than traditional methods
  
  
• 80% Cost Savings vs. scaffolding and lifts
  
  
• Safer by keeping crews on the ground
  
  
• Consistent, Professional Finish meeting manufacturer standards
  
  

Customer Validation

FlyByShine’s team provided field feedback during the test and confirmed the commercial potential of the solution:

“Before another contractor could even get scaffolding up, we were already done. The simplicity of what we just did is shocking.”
— Ric McCluskey, Owner, Fly By Shine

“It’s really safe. Nobody is 90 feet in the air — the drone does the work.”
— John Young, Prosoco

Looking Ahead

This successful trial confirmed that Lucid Bots’ sealing solution is ready to move into beta with select partners. The company is packaging the module into a Sealing Kit including payload, pump, regulators, hose, and intuitive software, enabling contractors to deliver faster, safer, and more profitable sealing jobs.

Key Takeaway: Lucid Bots is redefining infrastructure maintenance. By eliminating scaffolding and lifts, reducing costs, and improving safety, the new sprayer module empowers contractors like FlyByShine to take on projects once considered too complex, costly, or risky.