Lucid Bots Brings Embodied AI to Commercial Painting with Industry-First Robotic Capability

Company expands into the $237B market amid a historic labor shortage in construction and a surge in infrastructure investment led by reindustrialization

First-of-its-kind robot enables 3x faster painting at nearly half the cost

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucid Bots, a leader in cutting-edge robotics for labor-intensive tasks, today announced the launch of painting and coating capabilities for its flagship Sherpa Drone, marking the first time a commercial robotic system has been deployed to automate painting at scale.

"As we execute our growth strategy to enter new market verticals with modular robotics, we're proving that robotics can redefine how essential work gets done," said Andrew Ashur, founder and CEO of Lucid Bots. "The pace required to restore and expand our infrastructure demands automation that can do, not just sense and observe. Robots are the arms and legs of AI. Done right, they raise productivity, improve safety, and increase human prosperity. Lucid Bots is on the forefront of this movement, and our launch today will only accelerate our momentum."

A Convergence Moment for Robotics
The launch arrives at a critical inflection point as the U.S. is experiencing the largest infrastructure buildout in generations, fueling demand for construction workers. At the same time, the construction industry is confronting a severe workforce shortage, with over 40% of workers expected to retire by 2031. The work itself is also dangerous as painting and coating at height carries inherent safety risks that have long made the industry difficult to staff.

Meanwhile, embodied AI (artificial intelligence that can navigate and manipulate the physical world) is breaking through barriers once thought impossible. For the first time, robots can handle complex, real-world tasks like commercial painting at scale, moving beyond sensing and observation to actually doing the work. It's a technological leap that arrives exactly when surging demand meets shrinking labor supply.

Proven Platform with New Capability
Unlike other solutions that require entirely new equipment, Lucid's module system builds on the proven Sherpa Drone platform, and customers can swap in the new painting module with no major equipment change. The Sherpa Drone can reach up to 160 feet and cover more than 200 square feet per minute, operating continuously with a power tether. A single operator can achieve fast, uniform results using simple, intuitive controls. Compared to traditional methods, projects are completed up to three times faster and at nearly half the cost.

The announcement comes as Lucid Bots surpasses 500 robots deployed, marking a major milestone in the company's growth. Trusted by enterprise customers, the new capability is already deployed on high-impact projects such as stadium waterproofing and highway graffiti removal. The commercial painting and coating industry is valued at $237 billion, and inbound demand for the Sherpa Drone painting module has exceeded expectations.

The Sherpa Drone painting module is currently available, and additional information can be found at https://www.lucidbots.com/product/painting-module .

About Lucid Bots
Founded in 2018, Lucid Bots Inc. 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 Bot, 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 raised $9M in Series A funding in May and was recently named a member of the NVIDIA Inception Program, designed to help startups evolve faster through cutting-edge technology, opportunities to connect with venture capitalists, and access to the latest technical resources. For more information, visit LucidBots.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Lucid Bots Inc.