Flyability
"Safe, Fast, and Cost-Effective"
Swiss indoor drone company pioneering collision-tolerant UAVs for confined space inspection, founded in 2014 as an EPFL spin-off.
Flyability SA is a Swiss company founded in 2014 by Patrick Thévoz and Adrien Briod as a spin-off from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Headquartered at Route du Lac 3, 1094 Paudex (Lausanne), with offices in Denver (USA) and Singapore, the company employs over 130 people and serves more than 1,000 customers in over 60 countries. Flyability develops collision-tolerant drones designed specifically for inspecting confined, inaccessible, and hazardous indoor spaces such as storage tanks, boilers, pipes, tunnels, mines, and ship holds.
The flagship product is the Elios 3, launched in May 2022, and the world's first confined-space inspection drone to integrate a LiDAR sensor for real-time 3D mapping alongside a 4K visual camera and thermal camera. The Elios 3 features a maximum flight time of 17 minutes (with high-capacity battery), a 180-degree field-of-view static payload, and a modular payload bay supporting LiDAR-based surveying and ultrasonic testing (UT) payloads. The cage-based mechanical protection allows the drone to collide with surfaces and continue flying; a unique reversing motor algorithm allows recovery from an upside-down flip without crashing.
Pipes as narrow as 60 cm in diameter can be inspected. The accompanying Inspector 4.0 software suite processes data from field inspections into structured reports and 3D digital twins. Sectors served include power generation, oil and gas, petrochemicals, mining, wastewater infrastructure, maritime, and industrial facilities.
Named customers include Shell, ExxonMobil, Dow, Pfizer, TVA, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Flyability has received backing from Swisscom Ventures and has been featured in the Venture Kick program. The company's approach eliminates the need for workers to enter confined spaces, directly reducing safety risks and inspection downtime.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Elios 3
- Model: Elios 3
- Launch Year: 2022
World's first confined-space inspection drone with integrated LiDAR for 3D mapping and 4K visual/thermal imaging.
Contact Flyability
WEBSITE
https://www.flyability.com/PHONE
+41 21 311 55 00HEADQUARTERS
Switzerland
Company Facts
Founded
2014
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
Keywords
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