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"Warden Robotics" receives EXIST start-up grant

Press Release , , Knowledge and technology transfer (KTT), Marketing and communication

Students on the Digital Technologies degree programme at Ostfalia and Clausthal University of Technology are being funded for their start-up.

Lucas Dehmel (left) and Lukas Bartenstein studied on the joint Digital Technologies programme at Ostfalia and Clausthal University of Technology and are the founders of the start-up Warden Robotics. They have developed a robot for fire detection and firefighting and have now been awarded an EXIST start-up grant. Photo: Warden Robotics
Lucas Dehmel (left) and Lukas Bartenstein studied on the joint Digital Technologies programme at Ostfalia and Clausthal University of Technology and are the founders of the start-up Warden Robotics. They have developed a robot for fire detection and firefighting and have now been awarded an EXIST start-up grant. Photo: Warden Robotics

Lucas Dehmel and Lukas Bartenstein studied digital technologies at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and Clausthal University of Technology, focusing on techniques for preventing and fighting fires at recycling centres. Together with Konstantin von Haugwitz and Hans-Jörg Göschl, they are now developing the technologies for heterogeneous fleets of ground robots and drones for fire detection and firefighting in their start-up "Warden Robotics". After winning the TUniCorn Ideas Competition 2023 with their "FireBot" prototype, an autonomous, mobile firefighting robot, applying for the EXIST start-up grant was the logical next step. The grant starts in autumn 2025 and will support the team for one year in the further development and establishment of "Warden Robotics" with a total of 98,000 euros.

The EXIST start-up grant is a funding programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) to support technology-oriented and knowledge-based start-ups from universities and research institutions. The aim of the scholarship is to sustainably strengthen the transfer of research into entrepreneurial activity.

The current development focus of "Warden Robotics" is on improving the sensor unit, which can also detect and localise fires from a greater distance and which can monitor recycling plants from an aerial drone, for example, and initiate suitable extinguishing measures if necessary. One part of the development is the generation of data sets that are used to train the artificial intelligence of the sensor unit for fire detection. The first pilot customers are ready to test and further optimise the system in a real environment. The team expects to come closer to the vision of reliable fire protection for recycling companies and thus solve a central problem in the circular economy.

The EXIST start-up grant enables the Warden Robotics team to focus full-time on their goal. "I can only advise anyone with a good start-up idea to start while they are still studying. EXIST then helps you to get started right after graduation," says Lukas Bartenstein, who recently completed his Digital Technologies Master's degree.

More information about "Warden Robotics" can be found on the start-up's website https://warden-robotics.com (external link, opens in a new window)

The EXIST start-up grant is a funding programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) to support technology-oriented and knowledge-based start-ups from universities and research institutions.