A new pulley system is changing how cleaning drones work

Lucid Bots is giving its Sherpa cleaning drone a new way to tackle tall buildings: instead of making the aircraft carry the full weight of its cleaning hose, a new rooftop system takes some of that load off.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company has unveiled Sherpa HighLine, a software-controlled, motorized rooftop pulley system that helped a Sherpa drone clean the exterior of a 23-story hotel tower at Monarch Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk, Colorado. The operation reached 280 feet above ground level, which Lucid Bots says is the highest a cleaning drone has operated at that height in the US.

The late-September demonstration was carried out with BlackJet Drone Solutions, MG Cleaning Systems and Oklahoma Drone Technologies. The bigger story, however, is how the system gets the drone there.

Taking the weight off the drone

A cleaning drone has to deal with more than its own weight when it heads up the side of a building. Because the Sherpa is supplied by a ground-based pump, it also has to carry a cleaning hose — along with the liquid inside it. The higher the drone flies, the more hose it has to lift.

That creates a problem for operators looking to clean taller buildings. They can use thinner hoses to reduce the aircraft’s load, but smaller hoses can also limit water flow and potentially slow down cleaning.

Sherpa HighLine takes a different approach. The system mounts to existing rooftop equipment and supports the hose from above. As the Sherpa climbs, the rooftop system carries part of the hose’s weight rather than leaving the drone to handle all of it.

That could give operators more flexibility when working at height, including the ability to use larger-diameter hoses capable of delivering more flow.

“Supporting the hose from the rooftop changes the equation,” Robert Blank, Lucid Bots’ vice president of research and development, says in the company’s announcement. He adds that the approach could allow operators to pursue greater working heights while using hoses that provide more flow.

There was another reason the Colorado demonstration was notable. Black Hawk sits at roughly 8,000 feet above sea level, where thinner air makes generating lift more challenging for aircraft. Reducing the load carried by the Sherpa becomes particularly useful under those conditions.

A 23-story test

For Oklahoma Drone Technologies owner Parker Eakins, the HighLine system was crucial to completing the Monarch Casino project. The building’s roof configuration and available launch points prevented the team from simply starting at the top and working downward. Instead, the crew had to clean from the ground up while the Sherpa climbed the 23-story tower.

“The HighLine supported the hose as we climbed, allowing us to reach the full 280-foot height of the building,” Eakins says.

For commercial cleaning companies, the implications go beyond setting a height record. Being able to reach taller structures could open up buildings that were previously difficult or impractical to clean with a drone. It could also allow operators to clean more of a building during a single contract, potentially increasing the value of individual jobs.

Faster cleaning could bring another benefit. Higher water flow, combined with suitable pumps and nozzles, could reduce the amount of time spent on a building and allow crews to move on to additional work.

Lucid Bots CEO Andrew Ashur describes the Monarch Casino demonstration as “a milestone, not a ceiling,” saying the company is still working toward greater heights.

For now, Lucid Bots has not published a maximum working height for Sherpa HighLine. Testing is continuing, with final specifications and operating requirements expected as development progresses.

The company plans a limited release in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by full production targeted for early 2027. Operators can reserve a spot with a $250 refundable deposit, which will be credited toward the purchase price. Purchase is subject to operator approval and required training.

With more than 400 operators across over 40 states and three continents, Lucid Bots is betting that taking some of the physical burden off the drone could help cleaning businesses take on buildings that were previously out of reach. And if the company’s next tests work as planned, 280 feet may end up looking less like a record and more like a starting point.

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