Ann Arbor-based SkySpecs, an automated infrastructure inspection company that utilizes aerial drones, has announced $8 million in Series B financing to scale the company’s international operations and develop global inspection software to help customers make information-forward decisions about the condition of their energy assets and infrastructure.
“Last year we proved that SkySpecs is the best-in-class at collecting data that can be used to assess the health of energy infrastructure,” says Danny Ellis, co-founder and CEO of SkySpecs. “This year we will enable owners to harness the power of the data collected by our automated drones in a platform that they can use to decide what to repair and when to repair it.”
SkySpecs offers 15 minute inspections that simplify a previously time-consuming task and keep active maintenance and waiting time to a minimum by deploying an automated drone to survey all sides of infrastructure. The drones collect high resolution images to identify cracks, erosion, lightning strikes, and other anomalies.
The company enables wind farm owners, internet service providers, and OEMs to monitor and track the status of their wind turbines with a 15-minute automated robotic inspection, which sends data to a web portal for viewing, annotating, and reporting.
Skyspecs’ mission is to play a critical role in the smart grid evolution by helping to make renewable energy more accessible and attainable. The company currently operates the only fully-automated wind turbine blade inspection solutions on the market, completing 3,600 turbine inspections at more than 70 locations in the U.S. and Europe last year.
