Sapienza · DIAG spin-off
VOLAR Robotics builds soft aerial robots that physically interact with industrial assets — turning the drone from a flying camera into a flying worker for non-destructive testing and inspection.
From drone-as-a-camera to drone-as-a-worker: a new generation of aerial systems that don't just observe industrial assets — they touch them, measure them, and act on them.
Technology
Born from the SOAR-TOUCH research programme at Sapienza, our stack combines a proprietary contact control law with a soft optical tactile sensor — so the robot can land on a surface, hold itself there, and measure with sub-millimetre confidence.
A control law that turns surface friction into a stabilising constraint, providing passive disturbance rejection and a dramatic drop in motor torque versus free hovering.
A silicone membrane with an internal camera that "sees" what the robot touches — contact forces, surface geometry, and incipient slip — at video rate.
Markets
We focus on critical assets where inspection today means rope-access teams, scaffolding, and plant shutdowns — and where a quantitative measurement is worth far more than an image.
Ultrasonic thickness measurements on platforms, refineries and storage tanks — without scaffolding, ATEX-aware, and on-demand.
Tower and blade inspections on tall vertical infrastructure, with diagnostics that go beyond visual assessment.
Bridges, viaducts and stadia — frequent, repeatable inspections that turn condition monitoring into a routine, not an exception.
Why VOLAR
By moving complexity from mechanics to software, our platform is dramatically simpler — and more affordable — than tilting-rotor systems, while doing things visual drones and magnetic crawlers cannot.
Eliminate human risk, scaffolding cost and plant downtime.
Measure thickness and corrosion — not just photograph a surface.
Fixed-pitch hardware + advanced control = a fraction of the price.
Concrete, composite, aluminium — with continuous force adjustment.
Roadmap
A staged path from tactile diagnostics today to full aerial manipulation tomorrow, compounding data and capability at every step.
Now · Touch & Sense
Ultrasonic and tactile measurements on industrial assets — corrosion mapping, coating integrity, weld inspection.
Mid-term · Touch & Act
Cleaning, coating touch-ups, sensor installation — operations that today require people on ropes or downtime.
Long-term · Grasp & Move
Cooperative aerial robots that grasp, transport and assemble — opening a new class of in-situ industrial work.
Team
VOLAR Robotics is co-founded by two control engineers, supported by a senior advisory board with global standing in aerial robotics.
Designs the flight control laws that let a multirotor enter, hold and leave contact with the environment — with stability and robustness as first-class goals.
PhD candidate, ABRO · DIAG · Sapienza Università di Roma
Leads the AI pipeline that turns soft-tactile signals into real-time friction estimates and contact intelligence, closing the perception–control loop.
PhD candidate, ABRO · DIAG · Sapienza Università di Roma
Contact
If you operate critical industrial assets — or provide NDT services for those who do — we'd love to discuss how a contact-capable aerial platform fits your workflow. Pilot collaborations are open.
info@volar-robotics.comAffiliation
DIAG — Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Automatica e Gestionale
Sapienza Università di Roma · Italy