Voliro-MontiPower Alliance Brings AI-Driven Surface Treatment to the Skies
Could the next leap in industrial maintenance come from the air? That’s the suggestion from a new partnership between aerial robotics specialist Voliro and mechanical surface treatment innovator MontiPower. The collaboration sees the combination of MontiPower’s Bristle Blaster® and MBX® technologies with the Voliro T aerial robotic platform, in an effort to transform how critical infrastructure at height is maintained-safer, faster, and more consistently.
Voliro has established itself as a leading enabler of contact-based inspection, maintenance, and repair in areas traditionally only reachable by scaffolding, lifts, or rope access. Its flagship Voliro T platform boasts a one-of-a-kind tiltable rotor system combined with omnidirectional flight capability, enabling the precision orientation of tools with stable contact on flat, curved, or sloped surfaces. MontiPower’s mechanical surface treatment tools are renowned for their certified preparation quality without abrasive blasting. They are now being adapted for aerial deployment. The new development in their integration will enable operators to execute uniform and repeatable treatments while keeping personnel fully out of high-risk zones.
The implications for safety are great. In industries like oil and gas, marine, renewable energy, and heavy industry, maintenance crews regularly work at height in difficult conditions, where even the most mundane tasks have heightened risk. Removing workers from these environments reduces not only accident potential but also the need for widespread access infrastructure. “For the first time, precision surface preparation can be performed in places previously inaccessible, unsafe, or uneconomical,” said Frits Doddema, CEO at MontiPower. “The future of industrial maintenance has arrived.”
Efficiency gains are similarly impressive. The combination of adaptive force control with AI-guided positioning on the Voliro-MontiPower system enables optimal tool pressure and its alignment throughout the operation. This allows consistent results over complex geometries and diverse surface conditions. The AI capabilities mirror broader industry trends where autonomous systems leverage large datasets to improve operational precision, as seen in AI-driven inspection tools that automatically detect safety risks and track project progress. For asset owners, this all speaks to reduced downtime, lower maintenance costs, and faster deployment.
The value of the platform is further enhanced by the automated documentation functionalities. The system supports compliance and quality assurance requirements by capturing treatment parameters, tool contact data, and high-resolution proof-of-work. This functionality solves one of the biggest pain points in industrial maintenance providing verifiable proof of work done without human recordkeeping. “Our combined solution greatly expands the applications for which aerial robotics can be deployed,” said Florian Gutzwiller, CEO of Voliro.
The integration also builds on proven aerial inspection workflows. Companies like MISTRAS have already demonstrated the impact of the Voliro T in NDT applications, such as performing ultrasonic thickness measurements, among other inspections at height without shutdowns. Adding mechanical surface treatment extends these benefits from diagnostics into active maintenance, creating a unified aerial platform for inspection, repair, and preparation.
For sectors that have been conservative in the adoption of AI-assisted robotics, especially upstream oil and gas, the partnership offers a pragmatic, certification-ready solution. By integrating trusted mechanical tools into an aerial system with precise control and automated oversight, it manages concerns about operational complexity and quality assurance. Such an approach could accelerate adoption in offshore environments where return on investment for advanced robotics is highest and logistical constraints most burdensome. The integrated MontiPower–Voliro aerial surface treatment solution will be commercially available in the first quarter of 2026, poised for growing demand for safer and more efficient maintenance methods across critical infrastructure sectors.
