Tag Archive for: automated systems

OPINION: The problem with Scottish agritech isn’t the technology

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by Naomi Battison, Business Development Manager and agritech specialist at The National Robotarium. Originally published in The Scottish Farmer on 30 March 2026.

Scottish agriculture is under pressure from every direction at once. Labour is harder to find and retain than at any point in living memory. Margins are tighter. Compliance and audit demands keep growing. Sustainability obligations are tightening. If there was ever a moment when the case for automation was urgent, it’s now.

And yet adoption of robotics across the sector remains frustratingly limited. The temptation is to conclude that farmers aren’t ready. But having spent considerable time with crop and arable farmers, livestock farmers, and potato growers across Scotland, I can tell you that conclusion is wrong. The problem isn’t farmer appetite. It’s that the technology conversation being had around Scottish agriculture bears almost no resemblance to the one farmers actually need.

Ask farmers to identify their highest priorities and the answers are both consistent and specific. Labour dependency for repetitive, skilled tasks like roguing, grading, and animal monitoring. Time lost to manual inspection and paperwork. Cleaning and hygiene risks in sheds. In-field crop monitoring that catches problems before they become yield losses. These are the pressure points. They are also, crucially, areas where deployable robotics and automation solutions already exist: vision-based crop monitoring and disease detection, automated soil sampling, robotic shed cleaning, animal health monitoring, vision-based potato sorting and grading.

The technology isn’t the gap. The gap is that these solutions aren’t reaching farms because they’re being pushed at farmers rather than developed with them, and because the support infrastructure around adoption isn’t built around how farming businesses actually make investment decisions.

Naomi Battison, Business Development Manager and agritech specialist at The National Robotarium

Farmers operating on tight margins and often managing businesses built to support future generations cannot afford speculative technology investments. They need clear evidence that a solution works in Scottish conditions and integrates with current infrastructure. Crucially, they need independent, technically informed advice that helps them navigate the robotics landscape and genuinely de-risk decisions – not a sales pitch. When we asked how adoption decisions are made, the answer was pretty telling. Farmers trust proven examples from peers far more than presentations. That isn’t resistance to change. It’s rational caution when capital decisions affect the long-term viability of the farm.

Which is why I think the most important thing the sector can do right now is get serious about separating near-term reality from blue-sky thinking. The industry talks about robotics in ways that can make the whole agenda feel distant and theoretical. Full automation. Autonomous farm systems. The farm of the future. But the applications I’ve described above aren’t theoretical. They’re available. They’re sitting in catalogues, proven in other markets, waiting for a structured pathway to bring them to Scottish farms.

That pathway requires testing environments that reflect real Scottish agricultural conditions, funding that is genuinely accessible to farming businesses, and honest, independent guidance on what’s deployable today versus what’s still five years away.

Another round of innovation enthusiasm won’t close this gap. A system built around how farmers actually work might.

OPINION: The barrier to agritech adoption in Scotland isn’t technology – it’s time

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By Steve Maclaren, Chief Operating Officer at the National Robotarium. Originally published in The Herald Business HQ on 2 April 2026.

Earlier this year , I sat in a room in Inverness with a group of potato farmers. One of them had driven four hours to be there. He wasn’t there because he was curious about robotics in the abstract. He was there because grading, roguing, and soil sampling are grinding his business down, and he wanted to know whether technology could help. What struck me most was not what he said, but what he asked for at the end. Not a robot, not a grant, not a pilot scheme. He asked for someone he could trust to tell him whether any of it would actually work on his farm before he committed a penny.

That conversation – repeated in different forms across three workshops the National Robotarium ran with Highlands and Islands Enterprise last year, covering crop and arable farmers, livestock farmers and potato growers – tells you something important about where Scotland’s agritech adoption challenge actually sits.

It is not a technology problem. The solutions exist. Vision systems for crop monitoring and disease detection. Automated grading tables. Robotic cleaning systems for livestock sheds. None of these are hypothetical. Farmers across the north of Scotland and beyond know this. Many are already adopting automation where they can. Our nation’s farming community isn’t stuck in the past, but it is, in large part, stuck in a risk calculation that no one has yet helped it solve.

Farmers and agricultural stakeholders at a robotics for farming workshop

Investment in unproven technology is a gamble not just with this year’s profit, but with the long-term viability of a family business; land that is meant to pass to the next generation, not to be written down in a bad technology bet. Farmers have told us, consistently, that they will act on word of mouth from someone they trust who has already done the trialling and the verification. What they cannot afford is the time to do that work themselves.

And that is crucial. Time – not money and not scepticism – is the critical blocker. An HIE-funded conference I attended in February, where I shared the workshop findings with a broader group of farmers, validated this directly. Unlike potato growers, who have visible early adopters to learn from, livestock and crop farmers said they could not identify any trailblazers in their sectors to follow. Without a trusted peer who has already taken the risk, most are not willing to go first. That is a rational response to operating on tight margins in a challenging environment. It is not a failure of ambition.

The question, then, is what government and public bodies should do about it. And the answer is not more awareness-raising. It is not another information leaflet or another conference. It is the systematic creation of the capacity that farmers currently lack: the time and access to independent expertise to assess, trial and verify whether a given technology will work in their specific conditions before a single pound is committed.

We know what that looks like in practice, because we have seen it work elsewhere. Denmark’s Odense Robotics cluster – home to more than 160 companies and one of the models the National Robotarium itself drew from – is the product of deliberate, sustained public investment in shared infrastructure and independent expertise. The Basque Country’s Robotekin ecosystem has built a physical testing environment where companies and end users can prototype, validate and demonstrate solutions in realistic conditions before scaling. Both operate on the same principle that you remove the risk from the adoption decision by ensuring that the hard work of verification has already been done.

Scotland has both the need and, increasingly, the assets to build something equivalent for agriculture. The case for a regional robotics assessment and testing facility in the Highlands that can evaluate technologies in conditions that reflect real Scottish farming environments, offer independent expert guidance, and act as the trusted intermediary is not speculative. It is grounded in direct, structured conversation with the sector itself. Farmers with livestock and arable operations travelled long distances tell us they want this. Many followed up after our workshops asking how to take the next step.

The good news is that investment is currently flowing into the Inverness region. HIE has existing funding mechanisms, including a Digital Specialist Advice Grant and a Digital and Technology Adoption Capital Grant, that could support individual adoption decisions. The UK Government’s Robotics Adoption Hubs Network funding creates an opportunity for Scotland to put forward a focused, coordinated bid that establishes Inverness as a node in a national adoption infrastructure while ensuring the facility is designed around the specific conditions of Highland and Island farming.

With a Holyrood election approaching, parties across the chamber have a clear opportunity to commit to an agritech adoption framework that meets that standard. The evidence base is there. The demand is there. The international models exist. What Scotland needs now is the political will to build the infrastructure that turns farmer interest into farmer confidence – and farmer confidence into adoption.

That is what the farmer who drove four hours to Inverness was asking for. It should not be a difficult ask to answer.

 

TechUK

CEO of The National Robotarium appointed to UK Government Robotics Advisory Group

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CEO of The National Robotarium Stewart Miller, has been appointed to the UK Government’s new Robotics Advisory Group, established by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to provide independent, expert advice to government on robotics and autonomous systems.

The group brings together leaders from across the UK robotics ecosystem, ensuring that national policy is informed by real-world industry, science and, crucially, end-user experiences. Quarterly group meetings will be held in London, at the heart of the UK Government, and may on occasion be attended by Ministers, Chief Scientific Advisors or the National Technology Advisor.

The formation of a national robotics agency was a key recommendation by The National Robotarium in its policy paper ‘Reaping the Rewards of the Robotics Revolution’, which launched in UK Parliament in March 2024. The paper also outlined the urgency for advancing robotics adoption across the country through strategically-positioned hubs, mimicking the model of The National Robotarium as a driver to de-risk robotics development, accelerate start-ups’ route to market and stimulate economic growth. As a result the UK Government launched a competitive funding call for Robotics Adoptions Hubs, which are expected to roll-out from September 2026.

Stewart said: “The Robotics Advisory Group creation is a very positive move by DSIT to engage with all elements of the UK robotics ecosystem and hear first-hand what needs to be done to maximise the opportunities of robotics for the UK economy and society. I am personally looking forward to creating a robotics plan for the UK that embraces and maximises the benefits of robotics in all its forms.”

Alongside Stewart, members include:

  • Izzy Webb (co-chair), DSIT
  • Jenny Read (co-chair), ARIA
  • Rob Deaves (vice-chair), Oxa
  • Silas Adekunle, Reach Industries
  • Elie Allouis, Airbus
  • Seemal Asif, Cranfield University
  • Rory Daniels, techUK
  • Chris Gray, CMR Surgical
  • Nick Hawes, University of Oxford
  • Kirsty Hewitson, UKAEA
  • Lisa Johnson, Starship Technologies
  • Samia Nefti-Meziani, Birmingham University
  • Simon Pearson, University of Lincoln
  • Dave Swan, Tharsus
  • Neil Tinmouth, ACUA Ocean
  • Peter Williamson, Automate UK
  • Mike Wilson, Manufacturing Technology Centre

Find out more about the group at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/robotics-advisory-group

OPINION: We keep losing brilliant robotics companies. Scotland’s businesses can help change that.

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By Stewart Miller, CEO of the National Robotarium. Originally published by The Scotsman on 5 February 2026.

Joan Kangro founded Kingdom Technologies after graduating from the University of Glasgow with a vision to build one of the world’s first commercial robotic mowers for large-scale terrains. Golf courses, sports fields, parks, commercial campuses. It was a genuine problem waiting to be solved, and he saw it.

He assembled a world-class robotics team. They designed and developed technology sophisticated enough that some of the largest companies in the industry licensed it. They began building customers across the UK and the US. In 2022, investors and venture capitalists backed them with £2 million. By 2024, the founders of Skype and Bolt invested another £1.4 million. A £20 million Series A was planned.

Then, in January of this year, Kingdom Technologies entered liquidation.

Stewart Miller, pictured here at the 2025 UK Robotics Expo, is CEO of The National Robotarium

In robotics, the technology is mature and proven. The costs of buying and operating have dropped dramatically. Scotland is continually growing new robotics companies with products that should be finding markets here. So why is Kingdom’s tale one that is becoming far too familiar?

“In a challenging fundraising climate and an increasingly competitive market,” Kangro reflected, “we were not able to raise the capital needed to continue.”

Kingdom didn’t fail because its technology was weak. It failed because it couldn’t find enough customers quickly enough. While it waited for businesses to adopt, it ran out of runway.

Scotland has spent years building world-class research capability in robotics. We’ve succeeded. By almost any measure, Scotland’s robotics research is genuinely excellent. But excellence in research isn’t the same as businesses actually using it.

It’s the second robotics company with market-ready products to collapse in recent times. The Small Robot Company faced the same problem – remarkable technology that farmers desperately needed to make crop management easier, but not enough early adoption to keep the lights on while they scaled.

This isn’t about either company’s business decisions. It’s about a market challenge Scotland and the UK needs to face.

Scotland has spent years building world-class research capability in robotics. We’ve succeeded. By almost any measure, Scotland’s robotics research is genuinely excellent. But excellence in research isn’t the same as businesses actually using it.

Globally, it’s expected that the robotics market will be worth over £200 billion by 2030. Germany installs nearly eight times more robots than the UK, according to recent figures. Asia accounts for nearly three quarters of all global robot installations. These countries aren’t winning because they’re necessarily better at inventing. They’re winning because their businesses are adopting faster.

Meanwhile, across the UK, approximately 20,000 of our 27,000 manufacturing small and medium-sized businesses operate without any robotics whatsoever. The gap between having the solution and deploying it across the economy is where we’re falling behind.

But we can see what’s possible when an industry embraces robotics at pace. Look at food manufacturing. It’s a sector with a rich history of automation, and it’s showing what happens when businesses adopt confidently. Companies like Aberdeen-based Leap AI are thriving because food manufacturers across the UK – from Fife to Kent – are ready to implement robotic solutions. It’s addressing acute labour shortages that cost the industry £1.4 billion annually. It’s improving efficiency. It’s staying competitive.

That sector-wide confidence creates the market robotics companies need to survive and scale. When businesses adopt at pace, innovation doesn’t just survive – it flourishes. Leap AI secured £7.9 million in funding and is growing. Not because it got lucky, but because its sector was ready.

Prior to entering liquidation, Kingdom Technologies produced industrial robotic lawnmowers, like these installed at The National Robotarium in 2025.

Imagine if manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and agriculture showed the same confidence. That’s the opportunity in front of us.

Denmark shows what this could look like at national scale. With a population smaller than Scotland’s, they’ve built one of Europe’s strongest robotics ecosystems. Their manufacturers install 234 robots per 10,000 workers. The UK manages 119. The difference? Danish businesses are more confident adopting. Part of that comes from their Odense Robotics hub, which connects companies with suppliers, provides hands-on testing facilities, and helps businesses move from interest to implementation.

Scotland is building similar support. The National Robotarium, which I lead, is working to grow awareness of robotics, grow business confidence in the technology and support companies to build a new technology sector in Scotland.

We run Robotics Readiness Workshops – free programmes helping businesses understand where robotics fits their operations and how to implement it. We’ve engaged tens of thousands of young people in robotics education, supported dozens of start-ups, and delivered industry-funded projects showing what’s achievable.

But no single organisation can solve this. The real shift happens when businesses across Scotland in all sectors decide robotics isn’t something for the future. It’s something for now.

What most people don’t realise is that when a business adopts robotics, they’re not just solving their own problems, like addressing labour shortages, improving efficiency, and staying competitive. They’re also helping build the market that keeps innovative Scottish robotics companies alive. Every implementation matters.

..no single organisation can solve this. The real shift happens when businesses across Scotland in all sectors decide robotics isn’t something for the future. It’s something for now.

Kingdom Technologies had the talent. It had the technology. It had backing from serious investors who believed in what they were building. What it couldn’t get was enough businesses moving fast enough from “this could work for us” to “we’re doing this.”

That’s the gap we need to close. Not through better research; we’re already excellent at that. Not through more innovation; we’ve got that in spades. But through businesses taking action.

The robotics revolution is happening globally, right now. The question for Scotland is whether our businesses will participate in it quickly enough to capture the opportunity – and to stop companies like Kingdom from becoming cautionary tales.

How robotic subsea inspection is transforming offshore energy infrastructure management

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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

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.

autonomous ROV on ship prior to deployment at sea

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.

The Engineer

The National Robotarium makes the shortlist in The Engineer C2I Awards 2025

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Two projects recently delivered by The National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Heriot-Watt University, have been shortlisted for The Engineer C2i (Collaborate to Innovate) Awards 2025.

The awards, now in their tenth year, were launched to uncover and celebrate great examples of engineering collaboration and to recognise the role that engineers are playing in addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges.

The 5G Future Farming: Robotics project worked with agricultural and telecommunications specialists to test autonomous robots for precision farming tasks in remote or rural environments

The National Robotarium is shortlisted in the Information, Data & Connectivity and Wild Card categories for the projects:

  • 5G Future Farming: Robotics (in partnership with James Hutton Institute, Scotland 5G Centre, Boston Dynamics and Freshwave)
    A collaboration between technology and agricultural research, this project developed 5G-connected robotics applications to enable farmers to implement precision agriculture techniques while addressing rural connectivity challenges.
  • UNITE (with Heriot-Watt University in partnership with Imperial College London, Fugro, and Frontier Robotics)
    This 3-year project, supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is developing autonomous, electric remotely-operated vehicles (eROVs) to conduct maintenance and repair of offshore wind turbines.

Now a prestigious panel of leading UK engineers will judge the shortlisted submissions with the winners being announced at a special event, taking place on Thursday 26 February 2026 in London.

Frontier Robotics, a spinout from Heriot-Watt University, support the UNITE project’s aims to develop smart, AI-enabled autonomous ROVs for wind turbine maintenance

Chief Executive Officer at The National Robotarium, Stewart Miller said: “Being shortlisted in not one, but two, categories is a fantastic result for the teams involved in delivering these complex, visionary projects.

“At The National Robotarium our robotics engineers and research teams are pushing the boundaries of innovation, and advancing the rapid adoption of smart and autonomous robotics that can help improve productivity, sustainability and safety in different industries.”

Editor of The Engineer Jon Excell said:
“Once again, the Collaborate to Innovate awards has uncovered a remarkable crop of innovative projects and initiatives from across the world of engineering. Between them, this year’s shortlisted finalists, provide a compelling illustration of the technologies and trends that are shaping our future and the role that UK engineers are playing at the forefront of some of the most critical technology developments of our times.”

Frontier Robotics secures first commercial sale with ORE Catapult

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A robotics firm based at The National Robotarium has reached a significant milestone by making its first commercial sale with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the UK’s leading technology innovation centre for offshore renewables.

Frontier Robotics, based at the UK’s centre for robotics and AI at Heriot-Watt University, has developed advanced visual sensing and autonomy technology for subsea robots which will now be deployed at several sites including ORE Catapult’s new simulation platform VDARE (Virtual Demonstration and Assessment for Robotic Environments) at its DARE (Digital, Autonomous and Robotics Engineering) Centre in Blyth.

The company’s state-of-the-art camera can be mounted onto a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to take true to life imagery of offshore assets such as wind turbines, and floating offshore wind platforms. These images are then incorporated into ORE Catapult’s VDARE simulation to create virtually ‘real’ assets.

Dr Jonatan Scharff-Willners, CEO of Frontier Robotics

The unpredictable nature of the world’s oceans makes the inspection and maintenance of offshore assets challenging, with visibility in murky waters a particular obstacle. By leveraging advanced sensor fusion techniques with edge computing, Frontier Robotics’ system offers enhanced visual clarity, robust and reliable positioning and 3D mapping through Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) technology.

SLAM enables ROVs to create comprehensive 3D maps of their surroundings while simultaneously tracking their own position within those environments, providing the foundations for automated and autonomous operations.

The new technology addresses critical challenges for the UK’s offshore wind sector, where more than 2,600 turbines across 43 wind farms require up to three maintenance checks annually. These operations can account for up to 20% of total offshore wind emissions through vessel operations and helicopter transfers. Improved monitoring will enable operators to make faster, better-informed decisions about maintenance operations, reducing both costs and carbon footprint.

Jonatan Scharff Willners, CEO of Frontier Robotics, said:

“Offshore renewable asset inspection is a very challenging and hazardous task in the energy sector. With the UK’s ambitious offshore expansion plans, innovative systems that enhance safety and efficiency aren’t just beneficial – they’re essential.

“This sale to ORE Catapult is really important and helps demonstrate the value of our technology to the market. We’re grateful to the National Robotarium for their support. Being based there, we have access to world-class facilities and exceptional engineering talent and that has accelerated our development timeline.

“Our vision is to become the default autonomy provider for underwater inspections globally, transforming how the industry approaches maintenance and monitoring, and this sale is a major milestone in our journey to delivering that vision.”

Ken Chan, Robotics Operation Lead at ORE Catapult, said:

“Our VDARE simulation platform has been created to accurately represent real world offshore assets and environments, with data integrated into our simulations that respond in real time.

“We have conducted underwater trials using robotics systems to map subsea environments, and have imported data mapping seabed structures, water clarity, temperature and salt levels to create interactive 3D scenes built on accurate, real-world measurements.

“Our mission is to de-risk offshore robotics and accelerate development timelines through affordable, modular, and scalable test environments, and the technology we are now using from Frontier Robotics is supporting us to do that.”

Lisa Farrell, Business Development Manager at the National Robotarium, said:

“Seeing Frontier Robotics develop from incorporation to now securing its first sale demonstrates what’s possible when we properly support innovation in Scotland’s high-growth sectors. Its success creates benefits that extend far beyond one company – strengthening our robotics ecosystem while helping critical industries like offshore energy operate more sustainably.

“The sale to ORE Catapult is a particularly exciting development for us as it coincides with our recent signing of an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with ORE Catapult and recent launch of the Blue Robotarium in Orkney, both of which mark our commitment to creating an industry-led robotics cluster and building robotic capabilities to advance the energy transition.

“This is exactly why the National Robotarium exists – to help promising technologies move from concept to commercial reality. We create an environment where talented innovators can access specialised resources rarely found in one location.”

The Frontier Robotics Advisory Board after their inaugural meeting at The National Robotarium

High-profile appointments to expert advisory board

To support its growth trajectory, Frontier Robotics has strengthened its leadership with the appointment of an expert advisory board. Simon Reeve, former Director of Innovation at the Alan Turing Institute and VP of Technology and Innovation at Lloyd’s Register, will chair the board.

He is joined by Mary Jane Brouwers, a highly regarded leader in the Scottish investment ecosystem with over 20 years of experience in early-stage equity investments. The board is completed by Professor Yvan Petillot, a renowned expert in robotics and autonomous systems at Heriot-Watt University, co-founder and ex CTO of SeeByte, and academic co-lead at the National Robotarium.

In addition to their commercial success, Frontier Robotics has bolstered its already impressive funding track record with two new funding grants. The first, from Scottish Enterprise, has seen the firm assess the development of photorealistic, 3D interactive models to significantly decrease the processing time of more commonly used photogrammetry techniques.

The second grant is from the AI Safety Institute for a project the company is working on with partners including King’s College London, and SeaBot Maritime. This project will build and test a training and competence framework to assure the safe and responsible use of AI and autonomy in marine environments and provide a mechanism for the maritime workforce to upskill and adopt the use of the technology as AI advances within the sector.

National Robotarium accelerates industry development of wind farm robotics

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The National Robotarium is supporting the development of new artificial intelligence and control systems that could enable underwater robots to operate autonomously in turbulent seas, potentially revolutionising maintenance and repair tasks for offshore wind turbines.

The UNITE project, an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership programme led by Heriot-Watt University in collaboration with Imperial College London, is creating new artificial intelligence and control systems in partnership with geo-data specialist Fugro and Heriot-Watt University spinout Frontier Robotics, supported by the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and AI.

“The UNITE project was co-created with Fugro to develop the next generation of autonomy-enabled robotics solutions for offshore inspection and maintenance. We are especially interested in subsea inspection and manipulation in dynamic environments where existing solutions cannot be used.”

– Yvan Petillot, Professor of Robotics at Heriot Watt University and National Robotarium academic lead

“Our trials are showing promising results in enabling underwater robots to maintain stable contact with offshore structures in challenging conditions,” said David Morrison, Project Manager at the National Robotarium. “If successful, the technology could transform offshore wind maintenance, reducing fuel consumption of maintenance missions by up to 97% – from 7,000 litres per day to just 200 litres. This could significantly lower both operational costs and the carbon footprint of maintenance.”

The project demonstrates the National Robotarium’s role in bringing together established companies and emerging innovators. Through its laboratories and testing infrastructure, the facility enables rapid development and validation of commercial solutions. The technology being developed could reduce standard data collection time from three weeks to just three hours.

“With the exponential growth of offshore infrastructure, we need to look towards deploying more AI, robots and autonomy to enable the industry to take advantage of new technologies to work even more efficiently and to scale with the global demand,” said Jonatan Scharff Willners, CEO of Frontier Robotics. “It is great to work closely with Heriot-Watt University, the National Robotarium and Fugro to tackle these highly important problems, which are key components if we want to transition to renewable energy using a greener and more sustainable supply-chain.”

Mark Bruce, Global Product Manager of Next Generation ROV Systems at Fugro, said: “Our USVs and eROV’s deliver unmatched efficiency, hugely reduced environmental impact, and most importantly they eliminate human risk offshore by removing people from harm’s way. Our remote operations centres have been operating for ten years, during which time we have refined and improved our solutions.”

The National Robotarium provides companies with access to laboratories, testing facilities, and specialised equipment, alongside support for commercialisation. Companies working at the facility can connect with researchers, access funding opportunities, and engage with the UK’s broader robotics ecosystem.

The £1.4 million Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies (UNITE) project is led by Professor Yvan Petillot from Heriot-Watt University, with Dr. Sen Wang leading Imperial College London’s contributions, and is funded through an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership, part of UK Research and Innovation.

The National Robotarium welcomes contact from energy companies and technology providers interested in exploring the commercial applications of this technology. Email nationalrobotarium@hw.ac.uk or contact our Business Development team.

New ‘Blue Robotarium’ aims to transform marine energy industry

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Today (14 May) at the 2025 All-Energy Conference in Glasgow, The National Robotarium, in partnership with Heriot-Watt University Orkney, Aquatera Group, EMEC – The European Marine Energy Centre, Green Marine Ltd and Leask Marine, joined together to announce the launch of a new robotics testing and development centre in Orkney.

The International Blue Economy Robotarium – dubbed the ‘Blue Robotarium’ – will bring together leading experts in science and industry to test and develop cutting-edge robotic technologies to revolutionise the global blue economy.

Over the coming months, the Blue Robotarium aims to:

  • Develop an expansive programme that explores learning and solutions related to robotics, AI and data management for the offshore wind and tidal energy sectors;
  • Rapidly advance the testing and development of robotic systems to improve the sustainability of marine industry operations;
  • Create a centre in Orkney for testing, certification and performance validation of new robotic, AI digital technologies;
  • Support and facilitate the safe deployment of new technologies, underpinned by expert support and management;

 

Stewart Miller, CEO of The National Robotarium, spearheaded the new consortium alongside Professor Sandy Kerr, Director, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt’s Orkney campus.

Stewart said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity to showcase how the National Robotarium model can be adapted to drive robotic innovations for specific sectors.

“The International Blue Economy Robotarium will explore sustainable solutions that will enhance the offshore energy, marine and renewables industries through advanced technology.

“With access to a network of 400 service specialists, the Blue Robotarium will be a one-stop-shop for enterprising companies seeking to enhance efficiencies and improve sustainability using robotics.”

Find out more and get in touch at: https://bluerobotarium.com/

 

UNITE consortium shortlisted for Scottish Knowledge Exchange Award

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The UNITE project, an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership programme spearheaded by The National Robotarium and Heriot-Watt University in collaboration with Imperial College London, has reached the finals of the prestigious Interface Scottish Knowledge Exchange awards.

The project team, which includes global geo-data specialists Fugro and Heriot-Watt spinout technology company Frontier Robotics, is developing advanced AI and autonomous systems for undertaking remote inspections of offshore wind farms to offer a safe, efficient and sustainable solution for global energy providers.

The Scottish KE awards, now in their 10th year, highlight the exceptional collaborations that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits for Scotland. UNITE has been nominated within the Multi-party Collaboration category, in recognition of the consortium’s innovative knowledge exchange, bringing together a legacy of science, industry expertise and emerging technologies to tackle a real-world challenge.

Surface vessel and autonomous underwater robot undergoing trials in Heriot-Watt University's wave tank facility

UNITE aims to develop autonomous, electric remotely-operated vehicles (eROVs) to conduct maintenance and repair on offshore wind turbines

Professor Yvan Petillot is academic co-lead at The National Robotarium and leads the UNITE project at Heriot-Watt.
He said: “It’s an honour to be shortlisted for a Scottish KE Award. By harnessing advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and subsea engineering with the aim of transforming offshore maintenance and directly supporting Scotland’s net-zero ambitions, we think the UNITE project is an excellent example of truly impactful Knowledge Exchange.”

Amelia Whitelaw, Director of Interface, which organises the Awards, said: “At Interface, we are proud to deliver the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards on behalf of Scotland’s vibrant innovation ecosystem.

“These awards are more than just a celebration of achievements—they showcase the transformative power of collaboration between academia and industry. Each finalist represents the spirit of partnership, driving solutions that create lasting economic, environmental, and social impact.”

The Interface Scottish KE Awards will take place at Edinburgh Futures Institute on 19th March. 

 

Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh, Scotland
UK EH14 4AS

Scottish registered charity number SC000278

The University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH8 9YL

Scottish registered charity number SC005336

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