DeWalt Debuts Hole-Drilling Autonomous Robot “Boris” for Data Center Construction
DeWalt claims it is the world’s first downward drilling, fleet-capable robot. Watch it in action here.
machineryasia 
At this year’s World of Concrete in Las Vegas, one of the more unusual machines — designed for the booming data center market — came from power tool manufacturer DeWalt.
In collaboration with Hong Kong-based robotics startup August Robotics, DeWalt bills the new machine as the world’s first downward drilling, fleet-capable robot that features DeWalt SDS Max rotary hammer drilling tech.
(To watch it in action, check out our video further down in this article.)
The unnamed, autonomous robot (though August Robotics’ website refers to it as “Boris” on three occasions) can drill holes in concrete floors up to 10 times faster than traditional methods and boasts a 99.97% accuracy on location and depth on over 90,000 drilled holes on pilot programs, DeWalt says. Specific applications listed for the robot include drilling holes for server rack stops and structural legs to support overhead mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
The new machine offers 0.125-inch localization accuracy per hole and a maximum 1-degree hole drift, according to August Robotics, and can drill over 50 rack stop holes per hour at 0.75-inch diameter and 2 inches deep. The robot also supports options for masonry and rebar cutting.
August Robotics highlights obstacle detection on objects over 3 inches tall and cliff avoidance on the new machine, along with AI-assisted silica dust monitoring and automated vacuum extraction.
Contractors can drill holes ranging from half- to 1.5-inch diameters and depths down to 14 inches. Fleets can be set up through CAD or CSV file uploads to the accompanying Windows tablet app.
Contractors who purchase the robot will also receive one guiding station and one tablet. August Robotics also offers in-person training with an August Robotics field engineer, online training videos, and technical support with every purchase, as well as the option to hire an August Robotics qualified robotics engineer to operate Boris on-site, the company says.
DeWalt says one of the world’s largest and most influential tech companies is using one of the robots. After 10 completed phases of data center construction, it’s reduced construction timelines by 80 weeks, according to DeWalt.
DeWalt expects to make the new drilling robot commercially available by mid-2026.
