Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the energy industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked robotic maintenance solutions.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Robotic Maintenance Solutions out of 381
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2.093.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 381 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 robotic maintenance startups in energy that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 376 robotic maintenance solutions for energy, get in touch.
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BladeRanger develops Autonomous Inspection Robots
The amount of energy photovoltaic (PV) cells generate is highly dependent on the amount of sunlight reaching it. Apart from variation in weather conditions, dust, dirt, and other foreign materials prevent sunlight from reaching the solar cells. Manually cleaning solar panels is labor-intensive and even causes damage to the panels if not done properly. This is why startups develop automated robots for solar panel cleaning, ensuring efficient energy production throughout the day.
BladeRanger is an Israeli startup that develops autonomous solar panel inspection and cleaning robots. The startup’s robot features inspection and dirt detection sensors to generate a map of soiling hotspots and failing panels. Further, using cloud-based AI-driven analytics and monitoring, the startup optimizes cleaning schedules, location, and frequency. Remote monitoring also enables real-time tracking of cleaning progress, robot position, and status. The startup’s robot uses a waterless cleaning technique, helping commercial and domestic solar power units achieve efficient electricity generation.
Linebird enables Drone-based High-Tension Lines Inspection
Failure of splices and deadends in power lines pose a serious problem for electric utilities. However, the inspection of high-tension (HT) transmission lines is difficult and highly dangerous. Quantifying the electrical resistance of a connection over time provides a realistic status of the connectors. For example, infrared (IR) imaging records the temperature of connectors but does not provide an accurate picture due to varying conditions of electrical load and wind speed. This is why energy startups are working on technologies that remotely and accurately assess the condition of connectors on HT lines.
Based in the USA, Linebird is a startup that utilizes unmanned-aircraft systems (UAS) to inspect connectors on HT lines. The startup combines existing live-line micro ohmmeter and drone technology. This enables quick and easy access to deadends and splices that are typically inaccessible to helicopters. Linebird’s system helps utility companies improve safety and cost factors of inspection and maintenance. Further, the solution allows existing manned utility crews to focus on high-value and low-risk operations.
Flybotix provides Drone Solutions for Indoor Inspection
Carrying out periodic inspections inside a power station is critical to avoid unnecessary outages. But the vast size of power stations makes the inspection process labor-intensive and tedious. Moreover, inspecting huge structures, like cooling towers, increases the safety risk. In response, energy startups offer remote inspection solutions that reduce the dependence on a human workforce for performing repetitive tasks. Startups use various technologies including drones and other mobile robots to achieve this.
Flybotix is a Swiss startup that provides indoor inspection drone solutions. ASIO, the startup’s drone, uses a patented propulsion system that extends flight time and reduces noise levels. ASIO also features a redundant propulsion system to ensure a safe landing in the case of an incident. Moreover, a lightweight protective cage surrounds the drone, helping it navigate through tight spaces using flight control algorithms. The solution also includes an analysis software that continuously monitors for issues, enabling power plant engineers to implement preventive maintenance.
Windlar implements Preventive Maintenance
The blades of a wind turbine are exposed to environmental elements and need continuous monitoring to ensure efficient power generation. Wind farms presently rely on workers hoisted to the blades on platforms or cranes to find damages on the blade surface. But the enormous size and extremely high positions of these blades make periodic inspection and repairs a hazardous task. So startups develop new techniques to inspect blades remotely and effectively schedule maintenance tasks.
Turkish startup Windlar uses drones to analyze wind turbine blades. The startup’s autonomous drone solution captures images of the turbine blades. A machine learning (ML) algorithm then analyzes these images to detect any damages. This allows wind energy experts to understand the damages and generate visual reports using the startup’s software. It also compares current results with past inspection data to generate insights and enable preventive maintenance. The solution helps wind farms detect images early and reduce operational and maintenance costs.
Square Robots offers Interior Wall Inspection for Storage Tanks
Fuel storage tanks generally require periodic and cumbersome maintenance tasks. Moreover, the hazardous nature of these tanks’ contents makes maintenance risky. Therefore it is essential to ensure regular monitoring of the interior walls of storage tanks to reduce the risk of leakage or contamination. This is why startups and scaleups are trying to develop autonomous robotic platforms that address these complex challenges.
Square Robot is a US-based startup that provides autonomous tank inspection solutions for fuel storage tanks. The startup provides a self-driving, robotic platform featuring navigation, obstacle detection, and sensor fusion technology. It also utilizes a phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) sensor that enables non-destructive testing (NDT). The chemical agent-resistant coating (CARC) on the vehicle control housing further makes it durable and corrosion-resistant in petrochemical liquids. The robot has eight rim-driven thrusters allowing it to lift off the tank bottom and move through a wide variety of liquids with different densities and viscosities.
Discover more Energy Startups
Robotic maintenance startups in energy, such as the 5 examples highlighted in this report, focus on drone-based and robotic inspection of power lines, storage tanks, and robotic cleaning solutions. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing energy infrastructure maintenance, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more energy robotics technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Energy Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
