While biotech companies and healthcare labs rush to find a COVID cure, one North Carolina startup is taking to the skies to help keep students and spectators safe.
Lucid Drone Technologies, founded by Davidson College alums Andrew Ashur, David Danielson, and Adrian Mayans, started when the team saw drones as a way to help cleaning crews stay safe when working on multi-story buildings.
But what started as a way to improve window washing quickly became an essential service during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lucid’s new focus on disinfecting means their drones are now flying over heavily trafficked areas such as stadiums, cafeterias, schools, and distribution centers. And their team is helping train workers at schools and stadiums to become certified drone pilots in order to keep such places clean throughout the pandemic.
Equipped with specific electrostatic sprayers and disinfecting solutions, Lucid’s drones help disinfect an area 14 times faster than a backpack sprayer traditionally used by cleaning crews.
With the help of their training staff, teams in charge of keeping stadiums and schools clean can learn to pilot on the Lucid’s disinfecting drones within two days.
Co-founder Ashur told Hypepotamus that Lucid is glad to call Charlotte home.
“As we have grown, we made a conscious decision to stay in Charlotte, as it is a fast growing city, it is relatively central to major hubs on the east coast, and there is a tremendous amount of talented workers in the area, thanks to the esteemed universities in the state,” Ashur said.
For Ashur, Lucid’s technology is designed so cleaning crews at any location can help fight against the spread of COVID.
For those uncertain if they can fly a drone, Ashur adds “one of the biggest misconceptions about drones is that they are esoteric and difficult to learn.”
“We have experience training individuals that have never flown a drone before, and by the end of our training, they are confident and competent pilots. Above all, we encourage each of our trainees to come in with a growth mindset and willingness to learn.”
The team participated in Y Combinator’s S19 cohort and has already gained national buzz, including landing Texas A&M as one of their early disinfecting clients.
