Best of Summer: Top Energy Drone & Robotics Stories

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The summer of 2025 has been a pivotal season for energy drone and robotics innovation. From enterprise-scale adoption to sweeping regulatory changes and the rise of fully digital operations, the past few months highlighted just how quickly the landscape is evolving. 

If you missed some of our most-read stories, here’s a roundup of the top three, each offering a glimpse into the future of energy technology.

How Suncor’s Drone Program Is Transforming Energy Ops

Suncor Energy has taken drones from small pilot projects to an enterprise-wide program with nearly 18,000 missions flown across North America by 2024. What started as a survey tool has grown into a multi-application system delivering safety, efficiency, and environmental benefits.

Highlights include:

  • Mining Surveys and Mapping: Drone-based volumetric scans provide near-real-time terrain data—critical for Suncor’s massive open-pit mines.

  • Expanded Use Cases: Suncor is now doing everything from powerline inspections and offshore ship checks to bird deterrence at tailings ponds and AI-driven haul road monitoring.

  • Smart Operating Model: By leasing fleets, blending contractors with in-house teams, and retraining experienced surveyors as drone pilots, Suncor is operating smarter.

Looking ahead, Suncor plans to deploy docked, autonomous systems across its sites—a vision that could remove pilots from the field altogether while boosting safety and efficiency.

Read the full article on Suncor’s drone program >>>

FAA’s Proposed Part 108 BVLOS Rule

Perhaps the biggest regulatory development of the summer, the FAA’s proposed Part 108 rule could finally unlock routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. This long-awaited framework replaces the slow, waiver-based system with predictable approvals and performance-based standards.

What it means for energy operators:

  • Expanded Scope: Routine BVLOS flights for infrastructure, energy sites, and utility corridors

  • Bigger, More Capable Drones: Payload limits up to 1,320 lbs, opening doors for multi-sensor missions

  • Data-Rich Inspections: Larger drones can combine LiDAR, thermal, and high-res imaging in single flights

  • Improved Safety: Less human exposure in hazardous environments

  • Faster Responses: Rapid-deployment fleets for post-storm inspections or emergency events

With public comments open through October, the industry has a rare chance to help shape the future of drone policy—and the future of industrial operations along with it.

Read our coverage of BVLOS Part 108 >>>

How Oil & Gas Is Reinventing Itself with AI, Drones, Robotics, and XR

The oil and gas industry is redefining “digital transformation.” No longer about digitizing paperwork, today’s shift is about rethinking entire workflows.

Key takeaways:

  • AI-Driven Decisions: From predictive maintenance to intelligent scheduling, AI is helping operators act proactively instead of reactively.

  • Robotics and Drones: These technologies are providing safer, more cost-effective inspections in remote or hazardous environments while feeding data into advanced analytics platforms.

  • Immersive Training: Companies like Shell and ExxonMobil are using VR/AR simulations to improve safety, knowledge retention, and workforce readiness.

  • A Connected Ecosystem: Cloud platforms, IoT, and digital twins are no longer siloed tools but parts of a fully integrated, real-time decision-making infrastructure.

The message is clear: digital transformation isn’t optional. It’s the new baseline for resilient, future-ready energy companies.

Read more about the transformation in O&G >>>

Wrapping Up

Taken together, these stories show an industry at a tipping point. Drone programs like Suncor’s are proving operational value at scale. Digital transformation is moving from buzzword to business model in oil and gas. And new FAA rules could finally align regulation with reality, enabling broader adoption of advanced drone operations.

This summer’s stories show that the energy sector isn’t just experimenting with drones and robotics anymore—it’s building the foundations of a smarter, safer, more sustainable future.