By Dr Alix Partridge, Senior Robotics Engineer, the National Robotarium at Heriot-Watt University. Originally published in Energy Engineering magazine, issue 109.

The offshore energy sector has long faced a persistent problem – how to inspect and maintain critical subsea infrastructure without exposing workers to extreme risk. Sending human divers to depths approaching 3,000 metres remains the industry standard for many inspection tasks, yet it remains expensive, dangerous, and environmentally costly. Extracting equipment from the seabed for surface inspection introduces new risks of damage and contamination. There has to be a better way.

Dr Alix Partridge is a Senior Robotics Engineer at The National Robotarium

Emerging robotic technologies are providing it. A diverse ecosystem of innovations – from specialised manipulators and remotely operated vehicles to autonomous underwater systems and AI-coordinated inspection platforms – is fundamentally reshaping how the offshore energy sector approaches inspection and maintenance. The implications extend far beyond operational efficiency. They represent a paradigm shift in how we manage critical infrastructure in one of the world’s most demanding environments.

Removing humans from extreme hazard

The economic and safety case for robotic subsea inspection is straightforward. Traditional inspection methods operate at extremes. Deploy highly trained human divers at substantial cost and significant risk, or bring equipment to the surface for inspection and reinstallation – a process introducing its own set of problems and delays.

Robotic systems eliminate this false choice. They deliver comparable or sometimes superior inspection capability without human exposure to extreme pressure, temperature, and risk. Critically, this doesn’t eliminate the human workforce but transforms it. Rather than spending weeks in hazardous underwater environments, skilled engineers and technicians now focus on higher-value activities like overseeing autonomous operations, interpreting complex inspection data, planning maintenance strategies, and making informed decisions based on real-time insights. The implications cascade through operations. Inspections can be scheduled more flexibly, problems identified sooner through more frequent monitoring, and preventative maintenance becomes economically viable where it previously wasn’t.

Equally important, robotic systems reduce operational complexity. Equipment no longer needs extraction and surface reinstallation. Inspection happens in situ, reducing damage risk and operational delays. For operators managing ageing infrastructure or working in challenging environments, this represents a fundamental improvement in how asset management can be conducted and a shift in where human expertise creates the most value.

Alix was part of a team of Robotics Engineers that created this soft robotic tentacle – pictured on display at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed – which can bend and conform to different structures during contact, both underwater and in air

A diversifying technology ecosystem

Yet the transformation extends far beyond individual robotic platforms. The sector is developing an increasingly sophisticated toolkit adapted to different inspection challenges and operational contexts.

Advanced manipulators – whether soft systems designed for delicate interaction or conventional arms optimised for specific payloads – enable direct contact with subsea infrastructure. Real-time sensing capabilities, from acoustic systems that detect material thickness changes to advanced imaging that creates three-dimensional models of infrastructure, provide the data quality needed for informed maintenance decisions.

Remotely operated vehicles remain essential workhorses, offering proven reliability in extreme conditions. But they’re increasingly complemented by autonomous underwater vehicles capable of independent operation, guided by sophisticated artificial intelligence and advanced control systems. Rather than requiring constant human guidance, these systems can navigate complex underwater environments, survey infrastructure, and adapt to changing conditions with minimal intervention.

Most significantly, these capabilities are being coordinated. Unmanned surface vessels act as mobile command centres, deploying and orchestrating underwater systems to conduct comprehensive, multi-stage inspections that would previously require weeks of crewed vessel time. Real-time data processing enables dynamic decision-making, allowing inspection teams to adapt strategies based on emerging findings rather than following predetermined protocols.

These developments matter because they align perfectly with offshore energy sector realities. Infrastructure operates continuously; extended maintenance windows are economically disruptive. Robotic systems capable of operating 24/7, independent of weather conditions and daylight constraints, expand the operational window and reduce the cost of downtime.

The shift from scheduled, seasonal inspections to continuous, adaptive monitoring creates new possibilities. Problems can be identified earlier, when remediation is simpler and less costly. Structural changes can be tracked over time, enabling truly predictive maintenance rather than reactive response to failures.

A customised ROV that can carry out visual inspections of offshore turbines

Looking ahead

The offshore energy sector stands at an inflection point. Global offshore infrastructure continues to expand – whether traditional energy platforms or renewable installations – while existing infrastructure ages and requires increasingly sophisticated management. The combination of safety imperatives, economic pressure, and environmental responsibility creates demand for inspection and maintenance approaches fundamentally different from those developed decades ago.

Robotic subsea inspection technology addresses that demand comprehensively. It removes humans from extreme hazard while delivering comprehensive inspection capability. It makes preventative maintenance economically viable. It enables continuous monitoring and flexible operational scheduling. As these technologies mature and integrate across the offshore sector, they will reshape not just how we perform inspections, but how we fundamentally approach the challenge of maintaining critical infrastructure in the world’s most demanding environments.

The question for offshore energy operators is no longer whether robotic subsea inspection will transform their operations. It’s how quickly they can integrate this proven, diversifying technology ecosystem into their own asset management strategies – and how prepared they are to evolve their workforce alongside it.

Dr Alix Partridge is a senior robotics engineer at the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and AI at Heriot-Watt University, working on robotic solutions for offshore energy infrastructure inspection and subsea asset management.