DEWALT's DALE Drilling Robot Cuts 300+ Weeks From Data Center Builds
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Towson, Md. – October 16, 2026 -- DEWALT's DALE drilling robot has cut project timelines by more than 300 weeks across 44 data center construction phases, and TIME has named it to its Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Robotics category.
DALE, an autonomous downward drilling robot, was developed by DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand, in collaboration with mobile robotics company August Robotics. TIME editors and correspondents selected 300 winning innovations based on originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.
DALE drills up to 10 times faster than conventional methods on live jobsites
On live data center jobsites, DALE has reached drilling speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional methods. The robot has drilled more than 385,000 holes with over 99% accuracy.