Left Hand Robotics

Based in Longmont, Colorado, Left Hand Robotics was established in 2016 by co-founders Mike Ott and Terry Olkin. The company's name is a tribute to Chief Niwot (Left Hand), a notable tribal leader of the Southern Arapaho people, reflecting the founders' local roots. The initial inspiration for the venture stemmed from the founders' personal frustration with snow removal and their extensive experience mentoring FIRST Robotics teams.

The company focused on developing autonomous solutions for outdoor tasks, specifically targeting the turf and snow management industries to address significant labor shortages and improve operational efficiency. Its primary market included professional contractors, grounds managers, municipalities, and universities who face challenges in securing reliable labor for physically demanding jobs like snow clearing and large-scale lawn mowing. The business model centered on the sale of its robotic hardware and a supporting software platform that enabled remote operation and monitoring.

Left Hand Robotics' flagship product was the RT-1000, a versatile, autonomous robot capable of both mowing large fields and plowing snow. This multi-purpose machine could be fitted with different attachments, such as a rotating brush for snow removal or a mowing deck. The RT-1000 navigated using a combination of triple-band GNSS RTK technology, LiDAR, radar, and six cameras for precise path-following and real-time object avoidance. Users could define work areas and monitor the robot's progress through a cloud-based dashboard. A key value proposition was the potential for a return on investment in under a year by significantly reducing manual labor costs. In March 2020, the company also launched Bolt, a system designed to retrofit existing manually-driven machines with autonomous navigation capabilities.

After raising approximately $8.9 million in funding over several rounds, Left Hand Robotics was acquired by The Toro Company in March 2021. The acquisition was a strategic move for Toro to advance its leadership in next-generation technologies, including autonomous and smart connected products. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Keywords: Left Hand Robotics, autonomous turf care, autonomous snow removal, RT-1000 robot, Bolt autonomous navigation, Mike Ott, Terry Olkin, The Toro Company acquisition, commercial robotics, outdoor maintenance robot, landscape robotics, snow management robot, robotic lawn mower, robotic snow plow, ground maintenance automation, GNSS RTK navigation, LiDAR object detection, multi-purpose robot, professional grounds care