2018–2019 · HyBird-led research with Costain into collision-tolerant drones, autonomous deployment and AI-assisted inspection.
Our journey / From perception to action
Autonomy is built.
Trust is earned.
Bringing autonomy to critical infrastructure
takes more than a breakthrough demo.
It takes years of engineering, deployments and learning alongside the people who run these sites. This is the journey that brought us here.
01 / The foundations
2015–2019Autonomous inspection.
In hard-to-reach places.
The work began in 2015 with student research in hardware and computer vision. A practical challenge followed: inspecting industrial spaces that are difficult for people to reach. Hardware, perception and autonomy had to work together.
Our research with Costain explored collision-tolerant drones, autonomous deployment and AI-assisted inspection.
Robotics · Computer vision · Autonomous inspection
Explore the record
02 / Learning in industry
2021–2024From inspection
to industrial AI.
We applied machine learning to manufacturing processes, built digital engineering tools for nuclear environments, and connected Holcim’s plant information to its digital twin.
Applied AI · Digital twins · Engineering knowledge
Explore the record
25% production increase reported in the steel-industry work. Read the published case study.
2021–2023 · HyBird-led machine-learning research for energy-intensive steel and glass processes.
2021 · HyBird named in the contract awards for digital engineering.
2023 · The customer’s own record of bringing the plant and its information together.
2023–2024 · HyBird participated in Pulse Systems-led research into process optimisation for advanced manufacturing.
2024 · HyBird named among the contractors. The programme report records delivered platforms connecting existing and robot-collected data.
03 / Connecting the pieces
Today →Ask about the equipment.
Plan the work.
Check the result.
Ask Ray about equipment and its records. Prepare the work on the web. Take the drawings and instructions onto the plant. Connect inspections to enterprise workflows.
Spatial AI · Speech interaction · Human–robot interfaces
The horizon
An autopilot
for industrial plants.
That is the ambition. The path is practical: help people understand more, plan better and carry work through—with evidence they can inspect and responsibility they retain.