The company will use the funds to expand AI, machine learning and data analytics into the wind-power industry allowing customer to deploy autonomous drones in inspections.
“In the wind power industry, Clobotics is the only company to provide an end-to-end solution combining autonomous drone hardware with built-in computer vision, artificial intelligence and data analytics software for automated wind turbine inspections,” a company release states.
Autonomous UAVs use Clobotics Smart Wind solution to capture high-resolution photos that can identify damaged or weakened components as small as one by three millimeters.
Clobotics’ AI engine parses a “real-world dataset” which includes fully-functional and minutely-damaged turbines and shares real-time telemetry to its customer cloud portal, completing an inspection in minutes rather than days.
New investors include Nantian Infotech VC and Wangsu Company, joining previous investments from KTB Network, GGV Capital and Capital Development Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd.
“Clobotics’ ability to commercialize AI by integrating it with computer vision and industrial deployments to solve operational challenges in wind power … is unprecedented for a startup,” said Chengyan Liu, President and Chairman of the Board, Wangsu Company.
“With innovative technology, a leadership team of experienced technology executives and rapid customer growth, Clobotics has already demonstrated a strong track record in a relatively short amount of time. Our investment in Clobotics demonstrates our belief in the company’s potential to drive future digital transformation within the wind [industry].”
Drones have sparked a revolution within the energy sector as utilities deploy unmanned aircraft to save money and lives on hazardous, expensive tasks such as power-line and wind turbine inspections.
In 2016, ABS Group, a provider of technical inspection and verification services to the global power and wind energy industries, signed an agreement with DroneView Technologies to deliver joint aerial wind turbine and equipment inspections utilizing drone technology.
According to a 2017 Deloitte report, drones are capable of inspecting 15 – 20 wind turbines per day and make a significant dent in the estimated $2-billion annual cost Europe spends currently on turbine inspections.
Jason is a longstanding contributor to DroneLife with an avid interest in all things tech. He focuses on anti-drone technologies and the public safety sector; police, fire, and search and rescue.
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