Dangerous
Work at height and exposure to hazardous environments.
Aerial robotics
for critical
infrastructure
Autonomous systems for physical intervention on critical infrastructure.
The problem
Maintenance at height is still
done by hand.
Costly
Access, specialist crews and outages drive maintenance costs.
Difficult to automate
Complex geometry makes stable contact hard to achieve.
Drones already sense, map and inspect infrastructure. The unsolved step is stable, repeatable physical interaction with the asset.
45,000+ km
of high-voltage line circuit in Spain’s transmission grid, most of it on steel lattice towers.
€17 bn+
proposed investment in that grid to 2030, still going through approval. It includes 8,164 km of existing network to be uprated.
Sector context, not an estimate of the maintenance market. Sources: Red Eléctrica, transmission grid facilities 2024; MITECO, 16 September 2026.
Established capabilities
Observation
- Visual & thermal inspection
- LiDAR & mapping
- Condition assessment
Our development focus
Physical intervention
- Surface treatment & coating
- Maintenance & repair
- Physical manipulation
Our technology
From
observation
to intervention.
Technical data
- Maximum take-off mass7.9 kg
- Configuration8 rotors, tilting
- PowerTethered, continuous
- Onboard coating capacity250 ml
- Working heightup to 100 m (target)
- Primary structureCarbon composite
- Figures from the current design baseline. Subject to change through subsystem design and bench testing.
Target outcomes
-
×4–×8
Faster intervention
On localised corrosion repair, where the time is dominated by gaining access rather than by the work itself.
-
÷2
Cost per intervention
Taking rope-access rigging and the specialist crew off the critical path.
-
0 h
Exposure at height
For the tasks the system performs. The crew works from the ground.
Modelled targets for localised repair on lattice towers, not measured results — the system has not yet flown. To be validated from component testing through to the first utility pilot.
ANAX LT80
Status & roadmap
-
Architecture defined
2026 ✓
System-level design, requirements and safety concept closed.
-
Subsystem designCurrent focus
2026
Low-level design and interface definition.
-
Component validation
2026
Bench tests of key subsystems (contact, effector, propulsion).
-
Integrated aerial demonstrator
2027
Full platform in flight on a representative structure.
-
Utility pilot
2027+
First operational pilot with an asset owner.
Next milestone: first physical validation.
First application
High-voltage transmission infrastructure.
Steel lattice towers need recurring corrosion protection and structural maintenance. Much of this work still depends on personnel accessing the structure directly.
Skywright is developing aerial robotics to bring the system to the structure and progressively automate physical maintenance at height.
-
Protective coating & repainting
Initial use case -
Surface preparation & corrosion treatment
Target capability -
Close-range structural intervention
Platform extension -
Contact-based inspection & testing
Potential capability
A platform for more
Transmission towers.
Just the beginning.
Transmission towers are the first application, not the only one.
The same platform approach applies to other large structures where access at height drives the cost of maintenance: wind turbines, industrial plants and other hard-to-reach infrastructure.
First application
Transmission towers
Potential applications
-
Wind turbines
Towers and blades
-
Industrial plants
Structures and pipework
-
Bridges & viaducts
Elevated structural elements
-
Telecom towers
Masts and support structures
-
Port infrastructure
Cranes and elevated steelwork
From scope to completion
-
01
Define the work
Agree the asset, maintenance task and acceptance criteria.
-
02
Deploy the service
Skywright provides the robotic system and manages the intervention.
-
03
Verify the outcome
Document completed work against the agreed scope.
Operating model / Robotics as a service
Robotic maintenance.
Delivered as a service.
Our planned model: Skywright owns and operates the robotic system, delivering specialist maintenance within your existing workflows.
Discuss a pilotFor infrastructure owners and maintenance partners
- No robot purchase
- Specialist operation
- Built around your workflow
Get in touch
Let’s talk about your infrastructure.
Exploring a use case, a pilot or a research collaboration? We would like to hear from you.
- Grid operators
- Maintenance companies
- Research partners
Valencia, Spain