Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Industrial infrastructure such as wind turbines, offshore platforms, bridges, and storage tanks requires regular non‑destructive testing (NDT) to monitor corrosion, cracks, thickness loss, and other defects. Traditional NDT methods rely on scaffolding, rope access, or shutdowns, which are time‑consuming, costly, and pose safety risks.
Solution
AERAS is an aerial robot that combines the agility of a drone with a stabilised multi‑axis manipulator arm to perform contact‑based NDT inspections directly on hard‑to‑reach assets. The system carries interchangeable NDT probes—including ultrasonic, phased‑array, and corrosion‑mapping sensors—and uses active force compensation to maintain consistent probe pressure despite rotor wash and environmental disturbances. Data are captured and processed in‑flight, producing geo‑referenced defect maps, wall‑thickness trends, and structured inspection reports that are delivered to asset‑integrity teams in real time. By eliminating the need for scaffolding, rope access, or operational shutdowns, AERAS reduces inspection time by more than tenfold while enhancing safety and data quality.
Target Audience
Primary customers are asset integrity and maintenance teams in the renewable energy, oil & gas, civil infrastructure, maritime, nuclear, and process industries that need fast, safe, and high‑resolution NDT data for large‑scale assets.
Features
- Adaptive stabilisation system that neutralises rotor wash and external disturbances to keep constant probe contact pressure
- Multi‑axis airborne manipulator with quick‑swap NDT end‑effectors for ultrasonic, phased‑array, and corrosion‑mapping inspections
- Real‑time waveform acquisition and onboard processing delivering zero‑delay defect visualisation
- Geo‑referenced defect mapping and wall‑thickness trend analytics delivered via a cloud‑based asset intelligence platform
- Single‑operator workflow that reaches elevated and complex structures without additional access infrastructure