We are delighted to welcome the German-Dutch research project Smart Maintenance at Sea (SMAS) as an exhibitor at Drone Days 2026!
SMAS represents one of the most exciting applications of unmanned systems: the autonomous maintenance and inspection of offshore wind turbines. Funded under the Germany-Netherlands Interreg program, the project develops, tests, and validates innovative technologies that could bring about lasting change in the offshore wind industry.
The challenge is clear: Maintaining offshore wind turbines today is expensive, labor-intensive, and weather-dependent. Manned ships and helicopters are reaching their limits. SMAS is developing a forward-looking alternative: Drones enable faster and more precise inspections and reduce turbine downtime. Autonomous ships transport materials and equipment—or the inspection drones themselves. At the heart of the system is a fast, autonomous SMAS vessel with an integrated drone box that can transport spare parts as well as launch and recover drones. The system is complemented by two AI-supported operations centers in Eemshaven (Netherlands) and Emden (Germany), which coordinate and optimize the deployment of drones and vessels based on real-time data.
Would you like to participate as an exhibitor? You can find all the information you need about registration here.