Motmot

Motmot is a Detroit, Michigan-based robotics startup founded in 2022 by Elliot Smith (MSU Broad College of Business) and co-founder Cale Colony (University of Michigan). The company develops autonomous underwater robots (AURs) designed to inspect live, pressurized drinking water mains at scale without interrupting water service. Its flagship product, MotBot, is a compact robot that deploys through standard fire hydrants, traveling through active water mains using the natural flow of water and onboard propellers.

The robot is equipped with cameras for visual pipe inspection and acoustic sensors for leak detection, identifying leaks, pipe condition, structural weaknesses, and residual chlorine levels. Motmot targets municipalities and water authorities seeking cost-effective alternatives to disruptive and expensive pipe shutdowns for inspection. The company is headquartered at Newlab at Michigan Central in Detroit.

Motmot has raised over $2.9 million in combined funding, including a $1.34 million pre-seed round led by Assembly Ventures and a $1.555 million NSF SBIR Fast Track Grant from the National Science Foundation. The company was selected among 200 startups to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 and recognized as a top robotics startup at the Startup Battlefield competition. The team has conducted testing at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.