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§ Private Profile · Evanston, IL, USA
Consumer robotics hardware developer creating Rook, a web-enabled indoor drone for home security and real estate tours.
Key people at Eighty Nine Robotics.
Based in Chicago, Illinois, Eighty Nine Robotics is a consumer robotics hardware company that develops web-enabled, indoor-safe drones designed for residential security monitoring and commercial real estate applications. The organization's flagship product, the Rook drone, functions as a remote-controlled flying security camera that allows users to monitor their homes or conduct virtual property tours from any location. Unlike traditional stationary surveillance systems, this hardware is engineered to operate safely within confined indoor spaces without causing property damage. The company targets individual homeowners seeking mobile surveillance solutions and real estate agencies requiring dynamic property visualization tools for prospective buyers. To finance its initial manufacturing and development phases, the enterprise utilized the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, where it successfully raised over $57,000 in early capital from product preorder campaigns. Eighty Nine Robotics was founded in 2015 by Jackie Wu.
Key people at Eighty Nine Robotics.
# Eighty Nine Robotics: High-Level Overview
Eighty Nine Robotics is a Chicago-based robotics startup founded in 2015 that develops indoor drones designed for remote monitoring and telepresence applications[1]. The company's flagship product, Rook, is positioned as the world's first control-from-anywhere drone optimized for safe indoor use, addressing a critical gap in the drone market where existing solutions were engineered exclusively for outdoor operation and required proximity to the operator[2].
The company solves a specific problem: enabling users to monitor residential and commercial spaces remotely without the constraints of range limitations or outdoor-only design. Rook is controlled via smartphone with real-time video streaming, making it practical for security monitoring, property inspections, and rental showings[6]. The product targets both residential homeowners and commercial real estate professionals seeking efficient, cost-effective alternatives to in-person property walkthroughs[6].
Eighty Nine Robotics emerged from Northwestern University's innovation ecosystem. The team began ideating Rook in September 2014 and completed a proof of concept within four months, initially funded by a Silicon Valley accelerator[2]. The company's breakthrough came through Northwestern's Garage incubator, where it received seed grant funding in June 2015 and became one of the incubator's first resident startup companies[2].
The founding team faced two critical engineering challenges: creating a lightweight drone without sacrificing power, and designing it for safe indoor operation. After 15 prototype iterations, they developed a plastic, lightweight drone with a rechargeable battery and embedded safety software[2]. The company validated market demand quickly—its February 2016 Indiegogo campaign met its initial funding goal within two days, with early-bird units selling out[2]. Manufacturing was scheduled to begin in summer 2016, with deliveries to backers planned for winter 2016-17[2].
Eighty Nine Robotics represents an emerging trend in consumer robotics focused on practical home automation and security. The company identified and addressed a genuine market inefficiency: while drone technology had matured for outdoor applications, no safe, user-friendly solution existed for indoor monitoring. This positions Rook within the broader shift toward telepresence and remote monitoring technologies that gained momentum as distributed work and property management became increasingly common.
The company's success in Northwestern's startup ecosystem also reflects the growing importance of university-backed innovation hubs in nurturing hardware startups. By combining academic resources with entrepreneurial talent, Eighty Nine Robotics demonstrated a viable path for deep-tech companies to move from concept to commercialization.
Eighty Nine Robotics capitalized on a genuine product-market fit opportunity by solving a specific, underserved problem. The company's rapid crowdfunding success and transition to manufacturing suggested strong commercial potential. However, the broader robotics landscape has evolved significantly since 2016—the company now operates in an environment where consumer drone adoption has expanded, competition has intensified, and adjacent technologies like smart home security systems have proliferated.
The company's future trajectory depends on its ability to maintain differentiation in an increasingly crowded market while scaling manufacturing and distribution. As remote monitoring and home automation continue to evolve, Rook's positioning as a specialized indoor solution could either establish a durable niche or face displacement by more versatile competitors. The key question: whether a dedicated indoor drone category can sustain long-term growth or whether broader drone platforms will eventually subsume this functionality.
