DEWALT says DALE, the autonomous concrete drilling robot it developed with August Robotics, has been named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Robotics category. The tool maker announced the news this week. According to DEWALT, TIME editors and correspondents chose 300 inventions for this year’s list, judged on originality, efficacy, ambition and impact.

DALE is not a tool you will find at a home centre. It is a job site machine built for one demanding task: drilling large numbers of holes straight down into concrete floors in data centers, where crews anchor server rack stops and supports for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems.

How DALE works

The robot runs on August Robotics’ autonomous, fleet capable platform, so a contractor can send several units across one floor at the same time instead of putting a crew on hammer drills.

According to DEWALT’s July launch announcement, the main features are:

  • Autonomous downward drilling into concrete floors
  • Built in automatic dust extraction
  • Automated quality checks, so the floor is ready for MEP installation right after drilling
  • Fast swap batteries and remote monitoring for drilling around the clock

DEWALT also says DALE is meant to work alongside its existing PERFORM AND PROTECT tools and its anchoring products.

What the numbers say

DEWALT’s figures have grown since the robot went on sale. When the company announced commercial availability in July, it cited a year long pilot with a large technology company: 190 weeks cut from schedules across 26 construction phases, and 99.97% accuracy over more than 230,000 holes.

In the new announcement, DEWALT says that on live data center job sites DALE has now drilled more than 385,000 holes with over 99% accuracy, helped cut project timelines by more than 300 weeks across 44 construction phases, and drilled up to 10 times faster than conventional methods. These are the company’s own figures and have not been tested independently.

“This is about bringing new capability to the jobsite and helping customers meet rising demands with greater productivity and improved safety,” said Bill Beck, President of Tools and Outdoor at Stanley Black & Decker.

What it means for the trades

Drilling hundreds of anchor holes into a slab is some of the most tiring and dusty work on a commercial site. DEWALT pitches DALE as a way to improve safety and productivity, so workers can supervise a fleet of robots instead of running hammer drills for a whole shift.

For now, DALE is a commercial product aimed at large data center contractors, not a tool for small shops or home garages. DEWALT says it is available for commercial order, but it has not published a price, rental terms or a list of countries where it is sold. Contractors who want details should contact DEWALT directly through its official website.

The robot made its public debut at World of Concrete earlier in 2026. The TIME listing is a sign that job site robotics is moving from trade show demos into real projects.