"Offshore wind is a key energy source for the UK. It will play an increasingly significant role in future years, as part of an energy mix that is moving towards cleaner and more renewable sources. Offshore Wind Turbines (OWTs) have significant environmental challenges in terms of both the marine environment and the weather. This project, led by Perceptual Robotics and in partnership with ASV, the University of Bristol and VulcanUAV - will be developing and testing key technologies to address the autonomous inspection of offshore turbines.

Building on an existing capability for the inspection of onshore wind turbines, the team will be working on integrating this with an autonomous surface boat provided by ASV, creating a system which will automatically deploy and recover the inspection drone without the need for human interaction. The long term vision of this project is to enable fully autonomous inspection for OWT - working from an autonomous boat whilst being monitored remotely from land. Key challenges associated with this project include mechanical deployment, robust operations, multi vehicle cooperation, communications and the handling and processing of large datasets.

The team consists of specialists in drone design, construction and operation with Perceptual Robotics and VulcanUAV; specialists in autonomous marine vehicles through ASV; experts in computer vision with Bristol University and the ideal facilities in which to develop and test the system at the ORE Catapult facilities. Working together to solve the problems associated with operating an autonomous system in the extreme environment found offshore, the team will need to use modern control theory, sensors, materials, computer technology and AI algorithms to create a platform which can carry out rapid, robust inspections in the marine environment.

A fully autonomous system for offshore turbine inspection will not only significantly reduce the costs associated with ongoing inspection, but will also improve the quality and quantity of the inspection data. Modern sensing, including the vision processing offered by the University of Bristol will allow Perceptual Robotics to fly closer and more accurately with respect to the blades, thereby improving the images and maximising the flight envelope. This in turn will offer the potential for accurate condition monitoring and possible lifetime extensions. The UK is currently a world leader in offshore wind energy and this project will provide a further step change in the efficiency and quality of inspections."