Members of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Energy and Sustainability Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) recently visited Normal Robotics Lab, an innovative technology startup based in Kailua.
For UH Mānoa students engaged in energy and sustainability research, the visit provided a firsthand look at how local startups are addressing global challenges through innovation rooted in Hawaiʻi. Normal Robotics Lab offers internship and job opportunities to students, with the goal of keeping talented graduates in the islands while contributing to renewable energy and sustainable design.
“Tours like this are so valuable because they connect students with innovative local companies and job opportunities, highlighting Hawaiʻi’s potential to be self-sustaining,” said Miles Topping, director of sustainability at the UH Office of Sustainability.
Normal Robotics Lab develops energy-efficient, modular heat pump AC units designed to revolutionize cooling systems.
During the visit, students and faculty heard directly from co-founder Ashten Akemoto, who shared the lab’s journey from passion project to growing startup. What began as a side project when its founders converted a 1968 Volkswagen bus into an electric vehicle sparked a larger mission: to create sustainable technology that blends hardware innovation with climate-conscious design.
“The tour was very interesting and informative,” said student Kiet Nguyen, “The thing that stood out to me the most about the heat pumps was how simple they were to have working but also how complex they could get.”
