The ground-breaking new system, Lilypad, is an ecosystem of multiple autonomous BVLOS UAVs which utilise
artificial intelligence and navigational sensors to provide dynamic and on-demand offshore inspection services -
revolutionising the way operators are able to monitor real-time performance of their wind farms.
The UAVs are deployed from dedicated offshore charging stations and monitored by a single remote pilot
stationed in an onshore command and control centre. Vital inspection data and reports are then transmitted
back to the wind farm operators, enabling faster, more frequent, reliable and predictive maintenance
scheduling and more effective utilisation of assets.
The UK already has the world’s second largest installed offshore wind capacity at around 12 GW and is a key
component of the UK Government’s net zero strategy, with an ambitious target of achieving 50 GW installed
capacity by 2030 and potentially more than 100 GW by 2050. As Government and industry continues to
advance the UK offshore wind capability, new and scalable technologies such as Lilypad are required to
inspect, maintain and ensure the efficiency of wind turbines while also minimising costs to energy users.
Lilypad reduces the requirement for offshore personnel undertaking inspections, minimising both cost and impact
on the environment. At the same time, the improved frequency and quality of intelligence operators gain
through Lilypad’s remote inspections will enable them to significantly increase wind turbine up time and extend
their overall lifecycle.
Marshall Futureworx Managing Director, Kieren Paterson explains: “The ever increasing demand for secure and
renewable energy to power our communities has resulted in the surging need for innovative solutions to enable
the installation and support of offshore wind infrastructure, right from initial construction and through the life of
projects.Leveraging our demonstrated talent for integrating leading technologies and providing support services to
customers operating in demanding and regulated environments, we are excited to share the first of these
products – Lilypad, an offshore windfarm inspection service that provides truly scalable inspection capacity to
support the significant growth and increasing remoteness of offshore windfarms.Lilypad uses permanently resident autonomous UAVs allowing us to provide on-demand and scheduled
inspections timed to minimise the economic impact on windfarm operations. Lilypad decouples the cost of
inspection from sea state, distance from shore and seasonal considerations and eliminates the need for offshore
personnel during inspections.”
The announcement from Futureworx, experts in complex system development and integration, follows on from
the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2022 with ISS Aerospace who offer best in class industrial
UAVs and sees.ai with their leading AI drone guidance and control software.
“ISS Aerospace is delighted to have been appointed by Marshall Futureworx to provide a derivative of our
Sensus ML8-XP UAV for the Lilypad ecosystem. The Sensus family of UAVs has seen considerable buy-in from our
defence, security and energy clients and seen operations worldwide. ISS provides highly innovative, customer
requirement focused solutions which deliver on-board multi-modal sensor integration to deliver intelligence
solutions at the highest tempo.” Said Mike Roddy, ISS Aerospace Director.
“We're thrilled to be able to reveal more about this project. Not only does it involve deep collaboration with
Marshall, one of the UK's leading aerospace companies; and an exciting opportunity to develop a defensible
world-leading product for a huge and rapidly-growing global market; but it also gives us the opportunity to
make a substantial impact on one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the transition to net-zero. With
this stellar consortium we look forward to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with UAV technology.” Says
John McKenna, CEO of sees.ai
More information on Lilypad can be found its first public showcase during the Global Offshore Wind Exhibition in
London on 14 June 2023 at Stand A66 or via the website: https://marshallfutureworx.com/lilypad
