Are people aware of the importance of having a duct cleaner? To this, Azad says, “The issue in India is that there is no regulation or policy of the government that makes it mandatory to check and maintain indoor air quality—mostly because air-conditioning is relatively new in India. Other countries have strict regulations and quality controls, which are essential to comply with for any establishment. Companies in India do it on their own as it reduces electricity consumption and bad odour from environments.”
To market the product, RoboSoft uses the Internet as the key medium. “Our main market is the Middle East, followed by the US, Europe and Southeast-Asian countries. Our key customers include Blue Star in India and EPSCO in the Middle East,” shares Azad.
What’s in the offing?
The company has not filed for any patents so far as the team feels that the international process is very expensive and the Indian patent system is not so strong. “We intend to file for a patent soon. Right now we are bootstraped. We believe that it is the customers who bring in the money in India and not the patents. If it were software, we could have licensed it to users,” says Azad.
Azad also shares some of the other plans related to the future versions of the device: “We are planning to launch a new version of the device named DuctBot HD. It will come with an HD 1080i camera, which offers a full high-definition recording capability compared to the CCD colour camera used in the existing product.
“We have also designed a very small robot fitted with a night vision camera and microphone for National Security Guards commandos. This robot can be dropped inside any room or building before going in to preview the place. We are looking for agencies who can help us sell our products to the government.”
