15.11.2023

Drone wind turbine inspection

UK/Greek wind turbine inspection company Perceptual Robotics’ has successfully completed the inspection of more than 250 onshore wind turbines with its drone based Dhalion system.
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A drone assessing a wind turbine

The Dhalion system combines autonomous drones and Artificial Intelligence technology to collect a wide range of data which is analysed with AI data processing to quickly identify issues such as lightning strikes, cracks, erosion and delamination, in less than 20 minutes. For turbines that need repairs, the system can assess the damage and include it in repair plans while establishing monitoring procedures. The speed and cost of the inspections can enable more regular checks, helping protect turbines from small issues developing into more serious damage and critical failures.
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A Dhalion drone

The 250 inspection milestone, has provided the company with experience in diverse locations and varying weather conditions, enhancing Perceptual Robotics’ ability to learn and adapt its technology to hazardous situations. It has also begun trials with offshore turbines at the Levenmouth Demonstrator Turbine, managed by ORE Catapult just off the shore of eastern Scotland. It has also tested features such as landing checks, modifying path planning and adapting to changes as the boat moves during inspection.

The video below shows the system in action


Chief executive Kostas Karachalios said: “Scotland holds a pivotal place for us, being home to an extensive number of onshore wind farms and operators. The constantly changing weather conditions provide us with shifting challenges, keeping us alert and offering excellent opportunities to showcase the robustness of Dhalion.”

Founded in Bristol in 2016, Perceptual Robotics emerged from the University of Bristol Robotics lab. It set up a Greek operation in 2019 where the climate is a little more favourable. But more recently has been operating mainly in Scotland and has now extended its coverage the Faroe Islands in the Northeast Atlantic, with plans to increase its geographic coverage still further.