DEWALT’s DALE Drilling Robot Named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026

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• DALE™, the world's first fleet-capable downward drilling robot, recognized in the Robotics category for advancing speed, precision, and safety in data center construction
• Robot selected by TIME editors as one of 300 extraordinary innovations changing how we live, work, play, and think about what's possible
• Developed in collaboration with August Robotics, DALE drills at speeds up to 10 times faster than traditional methods, reduced project timelines by more than 300 weeks across 44 data center construction phases, and achieved over 99% accuracy drilling more than 385,000 holes

DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand renowned for relentless innovation on the jobsite, announced that DALE, its autonomous downward drilling robot developed in collaboration with global mobile robotics leader August Robotics, has been named to TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Robotics category. Nominated and evaluated by TIME editors and correspondents around the world, the winning 300 innovations were selected based on originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

Designed to dramatically improve how concrete drilling is performed, DALE is helping redefine data center construction at a time when demand for new computing capacity continues to accelerate. To date, on live data center jobsites, DALE has achieved drilling speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional methods, helped reduce project timelines by more than 300 weeks across 44 phases of data center construction, and delivered over 99% accuracy across more than 385,000 holes.

"We are honored that TIME has recognized DALE as one of the Best Inventions of 2026. DALE is an example of DEWALT's drive to deliver hyper-focused innovation to our end users and how advanced technology can be applied in a practical, results-driven way," said Bill Beck, President, Tools & Outdoor, Stanley Black & Decker. "This is about bringing new capability to the jobsite and helping customers meet rising demands with greater productivity and improved safety."

After earning strong industry attention earlier this year and entering the market as a breakthrough solution optimized for data center construction, DALE continues to demonstrate how advanced automation can improve execution on large-scale infrastructure projects. Its recognition by TIME further validates the role robotics can play in helping customers increase output, simplify workflows, boost safety, and support the pace of modern building.