DALE Named to TIME's List of the Best Inventions of 2026,Days After Winning Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech Award

• The world's first fleet-capable downward drilling robot, built on August Robotics' autonomous platform in collaboration with DEWALT, earns two major innovation honors in one month.

Octobter 15, 2026 – DALE™, the world's first fleet-capable downward drilling robot, has been named to TIME's list of the Best Inventions of 2026. The news follows DALE's selection as a winner in Fast Company's 2026 Next Big Things in Tech Awards, announced on October 7. 

Developed by DEWALT in collaboration with August Robotics, DALE automates the high-volume concrete drilling that data center construction depends on. Two of the most respected innovation lists in media have now recognized it within weeks of each other.

TIME: Best Inventions of 2026

Today, TIME revealed its annual list of the Best Inventions, featuring 300 extraordinary innovations changing our lives, and DALE is among them.

To compile this year's list, TIME solicited nominations from its editors and correspondents around the world and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields such as health care and AI. TIME then evaluated each contender on key factors including originality, efficacy, ambition and impact.

The recognition places a construction robot alongside the year's most influential breakthroughs. It reflects how central data center infrastructure has become to everything built on AI and cloud computing. See the full list at ti.me/best-inventions.

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Fast Company: 2026 Next Big Things in Tech

On October 7, 2026, Fast Company named DALE a winner in its 2026 Next Big Things in Tech Awards. The program honors technologies from established companies, startups and research teams that are making real progress toward changing how people live and work.

DALE was selected from more than 1,000 applicants across over 30 categories. It was recognized in the "Enduring Impact: 15+ Years in Business" category, and DEWALT was the only tool manufacturer among this year's honorees. The full list of winners is on Fast Company's website.

Why DALE Stands Out

Data centers are being built at unprecedented speed, and each project needs vast numbers of precisely placed holes for server rack stops and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) supports. That drilling has long been slow, repetitive and hazardous work.

Thus far on real data center jobsites, DALE has delivered:

• Up to 10x faster drilling than conventional methods
• More than 385,000 holes drilled with over 99% accuracy
• More than 300 weeks taken out of schedules across 44 data center construction phases

DALE runs on August Robotics' autonomous, fleet-capable mobile platform, so multiple robots can work across a site at once. Fast-swap batteries and remote monitoring support around-the-clock operation. Automatic dust extraction and AI-driven quality assurance leave floors clean and ready for MEP installation immediately, while reducing crews' exposure to silica dust and vibration.

DALE debuted at World of Concrete in early 2026 and became commercially available in July 2026.

A Milestone for Construction Robotics

"Being recognized by both Fast Company and TIME in the same month is a proud moment for our team and for our partners at DEWALT," said Alex Wyatt, CEO of August Robotics. "We started August Robotics to help people do their best work by automating the dirty, dangerous and dull tasks. DALE shows what happens when autonomous robots move from pilots to real jobsites at scale: projects finish faster, crews work safer, and the quality of the work improves."

About August Robotics

August Robotics is a leading international mobile robotics company that builds robots to improve lives and boost productivity by automating dirty, dangerous and dull jobs. Founded in 2017, the company develops robotic applications for use in data centers, warehouses and other pre-fabricated construction sites, as well as exhibitions. Learn more at www.augustrobotics.com.

Media contact: marketing@augustrobotics.com | Joanne Yang, joanne.yang@augustrobotics.com

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