Energy Drone & Robotics Brief | Nov. 15, 2024

Robots, AI, and Offshore Energy? It's Shore to Be Revolutionary

Offshore energy maintenance? You might picture big ships, bumpy seas, and enough fuel consumption to make your car feel left out. Well, wave goodbye to all that! The world of offshore energy is diving into the future with robots and AI leading the charge. And yes, they’re making a splash.

In this week’s article, “Offshore Energy Transformation: How Robots and AI are Redefining Efficiency, Safety, and Sustainability,” we explore how AI-powered robots are shaking things up on the high seas. These aren’t your typical clunky machines—these underwater whizzes are cutting costs, enhancing safety, and giving carbon emissions a swift kick off the platform. Here’s a taste of what you’ll find:

The UNITE Project Imagine autonomous underwater robots that can stay steady in choppy waters and handle delicate turbine repairs like a pro. We’re talking about the “chicken head problem”—and no, it’s not a new dance craze. These robots are solving it, reducing fuel use by up to 97%!

HonuWorx’s Loggerhead System Meet the electric-powered ROVs that are trading fossil fuel-guzzling support vessels for clean, quiet “mothership” submarines. Cutting carbon emissions with style—because who said saving the planet couldn’t look cool?

Blue Atlas Robotics and SH Defence’s Cube System For when a simple toolbelt won’t do. With The Cube, you get dual ROV deployment, 3D digitalization, and enough adaptability to keep even the most unpredictable waves on their toes. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of underwater tech.

We’re talking about AI that's not just smart—it’s sea-smart. These innovations could reshape offshore energy as we know it, and who wouldn’t want to be part of that wave?

Slip on those virtual fins, dive in, and discover how the tech of tomorrow is solving the challenges of today. (It’s all the thrill of the ocean, minus the seasickness.)

Read more on robots and AI in offshore energy

Drones Are Swooping In on Utility Asset Inspections

There are drones flying over substations and other energy assets, catching issues that would usually need a hard hat, a ladder, and nerves of steel. Corey Hitchcock and Mitch Morris from Skydio shared real-world examples of drone inspection successes in an Energy Drone & Robotics Summit session.

This week’s article, Aerial Robots for Infrastructure Inspection in Energy, is about how these flying machines are changing the game for utilities, and it’s packed with real-life examples of drones spotting problems, all while keeping humans (and squirrels ) out of harm’s way.

Forget long days out in the field or “guess-timates” about what might need fixing—drones are on the case.

In the article, you'll learn:

• Why drones are the new MVPs for inspections, spotting everything from overheating transformers to suspicious ratchet straps?
• How drones dodge obstacles and navigate harsh environments
• The surprising way drones help utilities meet complex regulations?

Read the full EDRS session recap

Call for Speakers - Deadline Coming Soon!

Interested in sharing your innovative thoughts and ideas on our main stage at next year's Energy Drone & Robotics Summit? Submit a topic to speak now! Prep for success by getting more involved in the industry in 2025! Connect with over 1200 owner/operator & service company attendees from around the world, to establish meaningful connections and drive new business. Present your newest technology / solutions, real-world use cases, lessons learned, policy updates and more to a live audience of asset owners, key decision makers, top oil and gas and energy executives and more at the largest industrial drone & robotics event in the world. Submit your session ideas now for a chance to speak at the Summit or upcoming EDR events!

WHAT ELSE?

• Automation, which can generate significant returns on investment, is increasingly mainstream, while robotics, which can improve safety on the jobsite, is gaining traction, as you can see in these eight use cases. Both play a role in safely finding and producing oil and gas, but neither would be able to shine without advances in technology.
• AirMatrix is pleased to announce that it is receiving advisory services and funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to support a research and development project focused on enhancing aerial threat detection, identification, and confirmation.
• The latest release, Voliro T Version 5, brings together hardware and software advancements to meet the growing demand for precise, responsive, and durable inspection technology in extreme environments. Developed in collaboration with experts in NDT, this version introduces new capabilities that improve inspection workflows across a range of industries, including wind farms, petrochemical plants, and remote industrial sites.
• Volatus Aerospace Inc. announced?the successful completion of a large drone solar farm inspection project.?The inspection spanned 2,250 acres, covering over 400MW of solar power capacity and 762,750 solar panels across 16 solar fields and 1 large substation.
• ANYbotics has entered into a long-term preferred partnership with global energy technology company SLB to provide state-of-the-art solutions to the oil & gas industry.?
• In Carrara, Italy, a studio is using robots to create sculptures, a move that has traditional sculptors concerned about the future of Italian art and is sparking outrage among traditional artisans.

ABOUT US

The Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition is focused on innovating energy operations with dynamic UAV, Robotics, Data and Automation solutions.

The Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition (aka EDR Coalition or EDRC) is a forum dedicated to launching, growing and scaling enterprise unmanned systems operations in energy companies worldwide by bringing the leaders in the drone and robotics ecosystem together with the energy industrial complex asset owners and end users.

The EDRC brings innovators together to advance the industry through digital resource sharing (like the weekly Energy Drone & Robotics Newsroom, resources on the website, blogs, podcasts and webinars), as well as live, virtual and hybrid events (including the annual Global Gathering, as well as smaller meetups throughout the year).

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