Into the interior of wind turbines with a robot
16.03.2026Maintaining wind turbines at dizzying heights is risky, expensive, and associated with long downtime. Robots could be an alternative. A joint research project with the participation of the University of Würzburg is working on solving this problem.
Wind turbines operate at full speed: Inside a turbine’s rotor blades, wear can cause damage that is not visible at first glance. A robot is intended to make maintenance inside the blades easier. (Image: Mabelle Photography / Adobe Stock)
In 2023, wind turbines supplied about one third of the electricity generated in Germany. Their maintenance is highly complex: During operation, the rotor blades are subjected to heavy loads. Many critical damages often develop inside the blades long before they can be seen on the outside. That is why inspectors have to enter the interior of the blades to examine the material for cracks and other damage.
Such inspections at heights of up to 240 m involve safety risks, high costs, and long downtimes. The joint project InInspekt (Rotor-based Multisensory Internal Inspection of Rotor Blades) aims to provide a remedy. The Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is funding it with more than €1,1 million.
The consortium’s proposed solution: Robots are to take over the inspection autonomously. By combining robotics, multisensory data acquisition, and AI-based analysis, the project helps extend the service life of wind turbines, reduce maintenance costs and downtime, and improve operational and workplace safety. This also lowers the cost of electricity from wind energy.
The technical expertise in sensing is being provided by the Robotics Chair at Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg (JMU), led by Professor Andreas Nüchter.
Extending the service life of wind turbines
“We are developing, together with the company EduArt Robotik, among other things a unit that allows the mounted measurement system on the moving robot to swivel and tilt,” says Jost Wittmann, a research associate at the chair. The researchers want to connect the control unit of the swivel mechanism with the robot’s navigation system. This would make it possible to set the required measurement distance precisely.
As for the measurements: they are to be carried out with a 3D laser scanner. “Our team is responsible for the design and setup of the system, which works on the principle of stereo photogrammetry,” explains Wittmann. A projector casts a pattern onto the interior of the rotor blade to mark the area, which is then captured by two measurement cameras. A color camera and a thermal imaging camera are also used; during data post-processing, their image data are transferred onto the point cloud.
“For an area of one square meter, this produces a 3D point cloud that reproduces the segment in detail and makes damage visible,” says the project staff member. This allows the robots to measure locations with millimeter precision.
“The joint project and the robot that emerges from it will help extend the service life of wind-turbine rotor blades and reduce maintenance costs,” says Professor Andreas Nüchter. The method is also intended to be introduced as a new inspection standard.
About the joint project
The joint project InInspekt started on 1 December 2025 and will run for two years. Of the BMFTR funding, more than €350.000 is allocated to the JMU team. EduArt Robotik is coordinating the project. Other partners are the start-up LATODA / Adoxin UG and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM).
EduArt Robotik, based in Neunkirchen am Sand in Middle Franconia, is developing the mobile robot platform. The consortium coordinator and project leader is company founder Markus Fenn.
Website of the robotics company
The German start-up LATODA / Adoxin UG specializes in the system’s digital intelligence. It will implement AI models for automated damage detection. The company is also responsible for processing the fusion of complex sensor data in real time to enable live evaluation.
BAM focuses on analyzing the thermal imaging camera data. The institute has scientific expertise in non-destructive testing—that is, methods for quality control of components without damaging their structure.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Andreas Nüchter, Head of the Chair of Robotics (Computer Science XVII), T +49-931 31-88790, andreas.nuechter@uni-wuerzburg.de
Jost Wittmann, Chair of Robotics (Computer Science XVII), T +49-931 31-87144, jost.wittmann@uni-wuerzburg.de
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