Nexterity’s robot handles four pipe bolts at a time

Startup Nexterity is developing a battery-powered, remote-controlled robot to loosen and tighten bolts connecting sections of pipe, a physically demanding task in pipefitting.

The robot has two main pieces that fit around a pipe. Once attached, it can move along the pipe and work on four bolts at a time. Nexterity has developed configurations for different standard pipe sizes, and each robot is small enough to fit in a Pelican case and be carried by one worker.

Founder Lindsey Elliott, a former engineer and planner at ExxonMobil, said the company plans to offer the robot as rental construction equipment. She said portability makes it easier to deploy at new sites.

Elliott said conversations with pipefitters and members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Pressure Vessels & Piping Division informed the design. She said 80% of pipes are between two and eight inches in diameter, a repeatable range she sees as suitable for automation.

The company’s Startup Battlefield 200 selection gives it a place at TechCrunch Disrupt. Elliott said piping infrastructure is used in sectors including water treatment, food and beverage, mining, nuclear, and sustainable manufacturing. The source describes pipefitting injuries and labor shortages as problems the robot could address, but does not report measured safety or productivity results.