HYFLIERS · Project

Flying Robot That Crawls on Pipes to Replace Dangerous Manual Inspections

manufacturingTestedTRL 6

Imagine a drone that can fly up to a pipe high in an oil refinery, land on it, and then roll along the surface like a tiny snake-car — checking for corrosion as it goes. Right now, human inspectors need cranes, scaffolding, or ropes to reach those pipes, which is expensive and dangerous. HYFLIERS built a robot that does both: it flies to the spot, attaches itself, and uses a flexible snake-like arm with sensors to measure pipe wall thickness without anyone leaving the ground.

By the numbers

50,000

pipe thickness measurement points needed per facility in 3-5 years

60-75%

of inspection costs dedicated to ultrasonic thickness measurements

EUR 3,897,020

EU contribution to develop the technology

consortium partners across 5 countries

industry partners in the consortium (50% industry ratio)

The business problem

What needed solving

Industrial pipe inspection in oil and gas plants, refineries, and power stations is expensive and dangerous. Workers need cranes, scaffolding, or rope access to reach elevated pipes — and this access cost dwarfs the actual measurement cost. With 50,000 thickness measurement points needed per facility every 3 to 5 years, and 60-75% of inspection budgets going to ultrasonic measurements alone, the industry needs a way to inspect pipes without putting humans at height.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered prototypes of a hybrid flying-rolling robot that can fly to a pipe, land on it, and roll along the surface while performing ultrasonic thickness measurements using a lightweight hyper-redundant snake-like robotic arm. The complete system includes teleoperation interfaces, collision detection and avoidance, trajectory planning, and mission planning software.

Audience

Who needs this

Oil and gas refinery operators with large pipe networksPower generation plant maintenance teamsIndustrial NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) service companiesPetrochemical plant inspection managersPipeline infrastructure operators

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Oil & Gas

enterprise

Target: Refinery operators and pipeline companies

If you are a refinery operator dealing with mandatory pipe corrosion inspections — this project developed a hybrid flying-rolling robot that can reach and inspect pipes without scaffolding, cranes, or rope access. The project estimates that about 50,000 pipe thickness measurement points are needed within a 3 to 5 year interval at a typical facility, and that 60% to 75% of inspection costs go to ultrasonic thickness measurements alone. This robot eliminates the access cost, which the project notes is many orders of magnitude larger than the measurement cost itself.

Power Generation

enterprise

Target: Thermal and nuclear power plant operators

If you are a power plant operator spending heavily on pipe and vessel inspections — this project built a robot specifically designed for industrial pipe inspection using ultrasonic thickness measurement. The objective explicitly states that results could be applied to power generation plants. With 8 partners across 5 countries including 4 industry players, the technology has been developed with real industrial input.

Industrial Inspection Services

any

Target: NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) service providers

If you are an inspection company looking to reduce the cost and risk of sending technicians to elevated or confined pipe systems — this project delivered prototypes of hybrid aerial-ground robots with a lightweight robotic arm equipped with inspection sensors. The robot minimizes flight time by rolling on pipes during inspection, extending battery life and operational coverage per mission.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could this save compared to current pipe inspection methods?

The project states that access costs (scaffolding, cranes, rope access, man-lifts) are many orders of magnitude larger than the actual measurement cost. Since 60% to 75% of inspection costs in oil and gas facilities go to ultrasonic thickness measurements, automating this with a flying-rolling robot could dramatically cut the dominant cost category.

Can this robot handle the scale of a real industrial facility?

The project targets facilities requiring about 50,000 pipe thickness measurement points within a 3 to 5 year interval. The system includes mission planning to optimize robot deployment and trajectory planning that accounts for real aerodynamic effects near pipes. Based on available project data, this was validated for industrial pipe inspection scenarios.

Who owns the intellectual property and can I license this?

The consortium of 8 partners across 5 countries (Finland, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland) jointly developed the technology under an EU RIA grant. IP arrangements would follow the consortium agreement. Contact the coordinator at Oulun Yliopisto (University of Oulu, Finland) to discuss licensing or collaboration.

What exactly was built and tested?

Three key demo deliverables were produced: prototypes of the hybrid robots, a lightweight hyper-redundant robotic arm for aerial inspection tasks, and the full hybrid robotic system. The system integrates collision avoidance, teleoperation interfaces, and ultrasonic thickness measurement sensors.

Is this ready to deploy or still in the lab?

The project delivered working prototypes and a complete hybrid robotic system. The project closed in September 2022 after over four years of development with EUR 3,897,020 in EU funding. Based on available project data, the technology was validated for pipe inspection but commercial deployment status is not confirmed.

Does this meet industrial safety and inspection regulations?

The project focused on non-destructive testing (NDT) for ultrasonic thickness measurements, which is a regulated inspection method in oil and gas. The system includes automatic collision detection and avoidance. Based on available project data, specific certification details would need to be confirmed with the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

The HYFLIERS consortium brings together 8 partners from 5 countries (Finland, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland), with a strong industrial orientation: 4 industry partners, 2 universities, and 2 research organizations, giving a 50% industry ratio. The project includes 1 SME. This balanced mix — coordinated by the University of Oulu in Finland — signals that the technology was developed with real industrial end-users in mind, not just as an academic exercise. The EUR 3,897,020 EU contribution and 19 deliverables over a 4+ year project period indicate substantial engineering effort beyond paper concepts.

OULUN YLIOPISTOCoordinator · FI
C.R.E.A.T.E. CONSORZIO DI RICERCA PER L'ENERGIA L AUTOMAZIONE E LE TECNOLOGIE DELL'ELETTROMAGNETISMOparticipant · IT
FUNDACION ANDALUZA PARA EL DESARROLLO AEROESPACIALparticipant · ES
TOTALENERGIES SEparticipant · FR
WAYGATE TECHNOLOGIES ROBOTICS AGparticipant · CH
CHEVRON ORONITE SASparticipant · FR
DASEL SLparticipant · ES
UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLAparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

University of Oulu (Oulun Yliopisto), Finland — reach out to the robotics research group involved in the project

Order a report on this consortium See OULUN YLIOPISTO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how this inspection robot technology could work at your facility? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the HYFLIERS team and arrange a technical briefing.

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