Press release

Zollhafen marina acquires a Jellyfishbot to get rid of the water pollution, a first in Germany

IADYS, French innovative start-up developing Artificial Intelligence and robotic products in service of environment, located in France, on the Mediterranean coast near Marseille, has announced today a major step forward in the German market: the sale of a Jellyfishbot to Mainz Zollhafen Marina, the first in Germany.

The start-up is known for its Jellyfishbot, a compact and robust robot which collects autonomously or remotely the waste (bottles, cans, plastic wrappers, cigarette butts, microplastics, paint particles, etc.) and the oils on the surface of water bodies. Ideal for cleaning up the harbours, industrial and touristic areas, the Jellyfishbot is a major tool for the maintenance and the preservation of the water bodies. By acting as close as possible to the source of the pollution, it prevents the dispersion of the pollutants into rivers, seas and oceans.

Since its inception in 2016, IADYS has continuously expanded internationally. A first fundraising in June 2021 has allowed the company to speed up the development process and comfort its position especially in the European market. After opening an office in Cologne at the Villa France in August 2021, IADYS announces today a major step forward: the sale of its first Jellyfishbot on the territory, conjointly led by Frederic Stoll, sales engineer, and Mariam Benarbia, Business Developer based in Germany.

Since the beginning of the year, the team has boosted its presence by increasing partnerships, sales and initiatives through demonstrations in the territory. The startup is getting involved in different local and supranational projects such as the UN Decades, the German Ocean Foundation with whom is discussed a collaboration on the Elbe Project in June, the o’Clean movement in Hamburg.

The Jellyfishbot has been delivered to Mainz marina on the 22nd of March, and will be followed by a press conference and a demonstration to the firefighters and the coastguards of the territory.
Detlev Höhne, Zollhafen Mainz Marina director describes the situation of the marina before the arrival of the Jellyfishbot: “During the last four years, the pollution level of the port basin has increased. On one hand, this is due to the leisure and nautical practices of the visitors, and on the other hand this is due to the dense construction activity around the basin, which will continue in the years to come. In addition, the strong and rapid changes in the water level of the Rhine, that have been occurring since several years now, have caused a large amount of plastic waste, due to the river’s current. »

The marina was seeking for a compact and handy solution that allows the operators to access to the hard-to-reach areas of the port (between the boats, under the docks and the dangles…). When they heard about the Jellyfishbot, they have invited IADYS team in January for testing the robot directly in the marina.

Matthias Winkelhardt, Director of the development company of the customs and river ports of Mainz supports the project: “When the work sites are closed to the waterfront, it’s not always possible to prevent waste to entering in the water. Especially with external insulation work. This is why we support the marina operator in his search for environmental solutions. »

Nicolas Carlési, founder and CEO of the company shares his thoughts on this first sale on the German market: “We are very happy of this first sale in the German market. Since a decade, Germany is one of the leader in western Europe regarding the reduction of plastic waste. By using the Jellyfishbot for cleaning and maintaining its marina, Mainz is a spearhead and we hope that more will follow soon. »

With this successful strategy, IADYS can proudly count on a significant establishment in Western Europe (Spain, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Finland and Norway), in the Asia-Pacific area (Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia), and is beginning to be present in Dubai and USA.

More than 40 robots have been adopted equally by marinas, commercial ports, shipyards, private companies dedicated to waste collection such as SMA (Monaco Sanitation company) in Monaco, by companies specialised in industrial sites’ depollution such as Serpol, and by one private petrochemical company. The efficiency and reliability of the Jellyfishbot are no longer in question. Lately, Research Institutes in France and abroad chose to acquire a robot to conduct research on microplastics. Finally, several theme parks and leisure centres are beginning to be equipped. For example, the Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium uses the robot to maintain their water bodies but also to educate and develop the awareness of their audience regarding the coast preservation.

With its current network of distributors in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, United Kingdom, Finland and Norway, in addition to the network operating in the French market, IADYS is strengthening its position in international markets.

The next few months look promising for IADYS, with discussions underway with distributors in Middle East, North Africa, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.

“The order book is filling up fast, we expect to reach our target of 90 robots in service by the end of the year, and the set-up of the second level of autonomy, with detection of moving obstacles this time, is planned for 2023.” added Nicolas Carlési.