One mission : reinvent NDT
We aspire to become a pioneer in cutting edge technologies aimed at addressing current challenges in the inspection industry.
Created in 2020, SONOBOTICS is a spin-out company originated from the NDE Group of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Imperial College London.
After years of research, discovery and technological advancements, as part of the Offshore Robotics for the Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub, the NDE Group has developed a range of low-power EMAT acquisition systems that are compact and mobile enough to enable a new range of innovative robotic applications.
The ORCA Hub is a multimillion-pound research programme developing Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems for the offshore sector.
Bringing together five world-class universities - Imperial College London, the University of Oxford, Heriot-Watt University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Liverpool - and over thirty industry partners, who together will revolutionise Asset Integrity Management for cheaper, safer and more efficient production.
Launched in October 2017, ORCA Hub is part of the government’s £93m R&D funding on “Robotics and AI for Extreme Environments” through the Industry Strategic Challenge Fund (ISCF). The fund is delivered by UK Research and Innovation, and managed by EPSRC.
Research under this programme led to the transformation of the existing basic solution into cutting edge technology. By reinventing the design, incorporating new components along with unique software, the research gradually brought solutions to a stage where they have become technically and economically feasible alternatives to existing NDT systems for robotics.
FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY
Sonobotics was born - a new company out of the NDE Group at Imperial College London to use the existing expertise and realise the vision that NDE can be seamlessly integrated into all robotic platforms.
We are committed to providing high performance solutions to our customers using our engineering expertise with our in-depth knowledge of the industry; bearing the promise to introduce new technologies offering safer, more efficient and more cost-effective systems.