BladeBUG , this is the name of the startup British who developed the robot of the same name: forms similar to those of an insect and thought to inspect , maintain and make minor repairs on the blades of wind turbines especially in particular service conditions such as offshore.

The idea came from the founder and CEO of BladeBUG Chris Cieslak , who, in the course of his work experience, has also had to do with the design of blades for wind turbines, identifying a gap in the market or that of machines designed to preserve these components in excellent condition, with the ultimate aim of optimize maintenance downtime and in general the efficiency of the entire system .

The result is the robot you see in the video proposed here, equipped with six legs with suction cups at the ends which can change shape while s they triss along the blades to ensure the best possible grip in all conditions. On board the BladeBUG there are several cameras designed to provide images to the operator who controls remote operations, as well as different types of sensors developed to find damage or any surface imperfection that hinders the efficiency of the object wind turbine inspection.

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The BladeBUG was funded by Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund , an industrial innovation program of the British government, and appears to have already partnered with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult , the UK’s leading technology innovation center for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

In October 2020, the robot BladeBUG has already walked with success on an offshore wind turbine in Scotland, in 2021 will continue development and related commercial trials while aiming to 2022 as the year of its effective availability on the m global market ; for more images and information about it, please visit the official company page.