Mark Mildon, CEO of ExRobotics, talks to Elizabeth Corner about the growing role of autonomous robots in industrial inspection, and why the technology is moving beyond pilot projects and into routine operations.

They discuss the operational challenges driving adoption across oil and gas, LNG and downstream facilities; the impact of ageing infrastructure and workforce shortages; and where robots can take on routine, repetitive or hazardous tasks traditionally carried out by people.

Mark explains how ExRobotics combines visual, thermal, acoustic and environmental sensing to build a richer picture of asset condition over time, and considers the continuing role of human inspectors alongside autonomous systems. The conversation also explores how operators build confidence in robotics for hazardous environments, where the technology still falls short, and whether robotics is beginning to deliver the measurable value long promised by industrial digitalisation.