Nobleo’s autonomous drone inspection technology for offshore wind turbine blades
2 min read
2 min read - 26 Nov 2025
Offshore wind turbine maintenance is moving towards full autonomy with autonomous drone inspection transforming how offshore wind turbines are maintained. Within the AIRTuB project (Automatic Inspection & Repair of Turbine Blades), coordinated by World Class Maintenance, Nobleo contributes to this transition by developing robotic systems that combine aerial and ground-based autonomy for blade inspection and repair.
The AIRTub project: developing autonomous drone inspection and crawler systems
AIRTuB brings together multiple industry and research partners to create an autonomous inspection platform capable of detecting local defects on wind turbine blades. The system integrates a drone that can fly close to the blade, land on it, and a crawler that drives along its surface. Both are equipped with advanced sensors for structural inspection and data collection.
The objective is to realise fully autonomous inspection and maintenance, reducing human exposure to offshore risks and increasing turbine availability.
Nobleo’s role: sensor fusion, localisation and crawler design
Nobleo leads several key work packages within AIRTuB:
- Blade detection and localisation algorithms for precise positioning relative to the turbine blade.
- Crawler design and control, enabling reliable motion on curved composite surfaces.
- Autonomy software integrating aerial navigation, path planning, localisation, and sensor fusion using data from GNSS, IMU, and 3D lidar.
Successful flying test – June 2025
In June 2025, Nobleo, in collaboration with NLR and Terra Inspectioneering, conducted the first flight test using Nobleo’s sensor package. The goal was to fly over a wind turbine blade and gather high-resolution sensor data.
By combining GNSS, IMU, and lidar measurements, the system produced accurate, referenced 3D point-cloud data and maintained consistent localisation. The processed results confirmed blade detection and a defined landing position, demonstrating a major milestone towards a fully autonomous inspection process.
Next development phase: integrated drone-crawler inspection
The next AIRTuB milestone will focus on integrating the drone, crawler, and sensor suite to perform a complete autonomous blade scan. Future tests will validate driving performance on the blade surface and synchronisation between aerial and ground operations.
Conclusion: building intelligent robotics for the wind industry
With our expertise in mechatronics, robotics, and embedded autonomy, Nobleo plays a pivotal role in enabling intelligent robotic systems for offshore wind energy maintenance. Combining precision engineering with autonomy for safer, more efficient operations.
