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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.”

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.

A group of people stand on stage with an award

Robotics research shortlisted for education Oscar!

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Research led by Heriot-Watt University has been shortlisted in the prestigious Times Higher Education THE Awards 2022, in recognition of its ground-breaking robotics research to support the energy transition.

Offshore wind is a critical component in the drive to net zero. However, inspecting and maintaining these infrastructures is dangerous, expensive and requires support vessels with a high carbon footprint.

Launched in October 2017, with expertise from 13 universities and 30+ industry partners, the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub has been leading a revolution in offshore energy inspection, collaborating on an unprecedented scale to match research directly to industry needs.

The work, which is now being progressed as part of the National Robotarium, a partnership between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, has demonstrated how Robotics and Autonomous Systems can safely inspect, maintain, and repair offshore infrastructure, guided by people on ships or onshore. Examples include what is believed to be the first autonomous foundation inspection at an offshore wind farm, developing 3D maps to show repair needs.

Widely known as the ‘Oscars of higher education’ the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards attracted more than 550 entries this year. The ORCA Hub is shortlisted for STEM: Research Project of the Year.

Professor Yvan Petillot, director of the ORCA Hub and joint academic lead of the National Robotarium, said: “We are enormously proud to be shortlisted for this prestigious award and it is a testament to the incredible work of all our researchers, our multiple collaborators and industry partners who have supported our work over the last five years. The ORCA Hub’s work has prompted a revolution in offshore energy inspection, raising the profile of Robotics and Autonomous Systems while accelerating government and industry net zero ambitions.

“Together with our collaborators, we have equipped drones with contact capabilities to monitor turbine surfaces, reducing risky human-led operations. We’ve showcased our work to more than 15,000 people in person through events and we’ve highlighted our research to more than 200 million people globally through media coverage. We’re continuing our work as part of the National Robotarium to address some of industry’s biggest challenges. Our far-reaching work has international impact and the ability to meet major societal needs as the race to net zero gathers pace. We’d urge those with an interest in collaborating to get in touch with us.”

THE editor John Gill said: “This is the 18th year that the THE Awards will celebrate the best that UK higher education has to offer, across 20 categories covering all aspects of university activity. Once again, the shortlists reflect universities doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times, during the 2020-21 academic year, when the pandemic continued to force higher education and all who work in it to respond to an unprecedented challenge.

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ROV windfarm inspection gets global coverage

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Researchers from the National Robotarium, a world-leading centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence who are working with businesses to develop valuable solutions to industry challenges, helped EDF deploy a uniquely customised remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to carry out what is believed to be the first autonomous wind farm foundation inspection at its Blyth Offshore Wind Farm.

The ROV, equipped and operated by researchers from the ORCA Hub, a strategic project within the National Robotarium, was modified to include cutting-edge robotic technologies for autonomous inspection capabilities and carried out visual inspections of the gravity-based foundations of three offshore turbines over the course of four days.

The inspections were undertaken as part of a partnership between EDF and the ORCA Hub to investigate a wide range of potential applications for drone technology to assess offshore wind turbines. The trials demonstrated the drone’s ability to work autonomously at the site, as it recorded videos to assess the exterior condition of turbine foundations and cables.
The drone was also used to create a 3D reconstruction model of parts of the underwater assets, which will be used to monitor biofouling, the accumulation of microorganisms, plants and algae on the turbine foundations.

Maxime Duchet, Offshore Wind Research Engineer at EDF R&D UK Centre, said: “These trials have showcased the ability of autonomous inspection drones to collect high-quality images off offshore turbine technology. These images, and the modelling they enable, will greatly enhance our ability to carry out operations and maintenance activities on-site.

“Further tests are needed to estimate the time required to inspect all of the turbine foundations, and to demonstrate the full potential of marine robotic technology. However it is clear from these initial results that the technology can ensure safer and faster operations and a reduced carbon footprint.

“Marine robotics is a booming field with a myriad of applications for offshore wind farms, and we’re delighted to have partnered with the ORCA Hub for this successful trial. The drone proved its ability to work autonomously and make a significant contribution to turbine operation and maintenance, and we’re excited at the possibilities afforded by drone technology to further streamline these procedures.” – Paul Clarke, Portfolio Manager for Offshore Wind at EDF Renewables UK

Dr Sen Wang, former lead of Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the National Robotarium, said: “This trial demonstrates the enormous potential for underwater robots to autonomously carry out inspection and maintenance of offshore wind turbines, reducing the need and the associated risks of putting personnel into challenging and hazardous environments. By equipping the ROV with sensors and robot autonomy software developed by the ORCA Hub, we can obtain high-quality videos and build an extremely accurate 3D model of the turbine foundations, providing rich information in a more efficient manner for companies working in this sector.

“Due to their locations, offshore wind farms are costly and difficult to monitor and maintain with the industry currently facing a range of challenges such as cost, safety and operational logistics. The ORCA Hub can help its partners to overcome many of these challenges. We are already demonstrating the many benefits of using robotics in the offshore renewable sector, giving service providers and operators, like EDF, a wealth of information and data to support their planning, maintenance and decision-making while reducing costs, risks and carbon footprint.”

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EDF Trial

Unique underwater drone carries out first ever autonomous inspection of windfarms

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Researchers from the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub have partnered with EDF to deploy a uniquely customised remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to carry out what is believed to be the first autonomous wind farm foundation inspection of the energy company’s Blyth Offshore Wind Farm.

The ROV, equipped and operated by researchers from the ORCA Hub, a strategic project within the National Robotarium and funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, was modified to include cutting-edge robotic technologies for autonomous inspection capabilities and carried out visual inspections of the gravity-based foundations of three offshore turbines over the course of four days.

The inspections were undertaken as part of a partnership between EDF and the ORCA Hub to investigate a wide range of potential applications for drone technology to assess offshore wind turbines. The trials demonstrated the drone’s ability to work autonomously at the site, as it recorded videos to assess the exterior condition of turbine foundations and cables.

The drone was also used to create a 3D reconstruction model of parts of the underwater assets, which will be used to monitor biofouling, the accumulation of microorganisms, plants and algae on the turbine foundations.

“This trial demonstrates the enormous potential for underwater robots to autonomously carry out inspection and maintenance of offshore wind turbines, reducing the need and the associated risks of putting personnel into challenging and hazardous environments. By equipping the ROV with sensors and robot autonomy software developed by the ORCA Hub, we can obtain high-quality videos and build an extremely accurate 3D model of the turbine foundations, providing rich information in a more efficient manner for companies working in this sector.

“Due to their locations, offshore wind farms are costly and difficult to monitor and maintain with the industry currently facing a range of challenges such as cost, safety and operational logistics. Solutions developed by ORCA Hub researchers have helped its partners to overcome many of these challenges. We are already demonstrating the many benefits of using robotics in the offshore renewable sector, giving service providers and operators, like EDF, a wealth of information and data to support their planning, maintenance and decision-making while reducing costs, risks and carbon footprint.” – Dr Sen Wang, lead of Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the National Robotarium

Paul Clarke, Portfolio Manager for Offshore Wind at EDF Renewables UK, said: “These trials have showcased the ability of autonomous inspection drones to collect high-quality images of offshore turbine technology. These images, and the modelling they enable, will greatly enhance our ability to carry out operations and maintenance activities on-site.

“Further tests are needed to estimate the time required to inspect all of the turbine foundations, and to demonstrate the full potential of marine robotic technology. However it is clear from these initial results that the technology can ensure safer and faster operations and a reduced carbon footprint.

James Wilson, Area Manager at EDF Renewables UK said: “Marine robotics is a booming field with a myriad of applications for offshore wind farms, and we’re delighted to have partnered with the ORCA Hub for this successful trial. The drone proved its ability to work autonomously and make a significant contribution to turbine operation and maintenance, and we’re excited at the possibilities afforded by drone technology to further streamline these procedures.”

As the National Robotarium prepares to open its doors, research and technology developed by the ORCA Hub is set to continue within the £22.4m facility. Established experts in offshore robotics from ORCA will be strategically positioned alongside industry and academic partners, creating a synergy that is intended to advance existing autonomous solutions through to commercial adoption.

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