Wall climbing robots help Gulf energy firms speed post attack recovery, says Gecko Robotics

Robotics, resilience and the energy sector

US technology firm Gecko Robotics is rolling out a new generation of wallclimbing inspection robots across Adnoc's energy facilities to help detect structural weaknesses and assess damage after regional attacks exposed vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. The company showcased its latest model, called Raptor, at Adipec in Abu Dhabi as it expands its partnership with Adnoc and contemplates local manufacturing in the UAE.

Gecko says Raptor scans surfaces and captures millions of data points during inspections using a mix of sensors and soundwave techniques. The firm claims the robot is three to five times faster than its predecessor and up to 50 times faster than competitors machines at collecting inspection data. Because it can operate without taking plants offline, Gecko argues the device reduces both downtime and the cost of data collection dramatically.

Jake Loosararian, Geckos chief executive and cofounder, told The National that the companys technology is particularly valuable after attacks: Gecko's ability to understand what sort of damage has occurred increases how quickly you can get assets back up and running. The data the robots produce, he said, provides guidance on what to fix, how to fix it, while also helping extend equipment life and optimise maintenance cycles.

Military demand, commercial scale and UAE ambitions

Demand for robotic inspection and AIdriven asset management has risen sharply amid heightened regional tensions. Gecko last week signed a $300 million agreement with the US Navy to supply robotics applications, highlighting growing military demand for automation and predictive maintenance tools. The company is concurrently deepening its commercial ties with Adnoc and has an agreement with Adnoc Onshore to deploy robotics and AI models for critical infrastructure.

As part of its regional strategy, Gecko is considering moving some manufacturing to the UAE so it can develop and test technology closer to the operating facilities where the machines are used. The company already deploys tens of robots daily in the region. Loosararian warned that energy companies that do not adopt AInative and roboticsnative approaches risk falling behind: If you don't have a path that leads you towards a more AInative, roboticnative way of running infrastructure, you are operating in the ancient past, and that ancient path will lead you to demise.

UAE officials have also signalled interest in expanding local robotics manufacturing. Ibtisam Al Saadi, acting assistant undersecretary for the industrial development sector at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, said robotics are meeting rising demand across sectors and that interest among young Emiratis in robotics programming and manufacturing is growing, alongside locally made drones and advances in 3D printing.

Gecko argues that building and testing equipment near the field helps avoid the death of a lab a situation where tools developed in controlled environments fail to perform in realworld conditions. Locating production and engineering closer to oil and gas assets would, the company says, improve reliability and accelerate iteration.

Taken together, the push to adopt advanced inspection robots reflects a wider shift in energy industry priorities: operators increasingly view themselves as technology companies that must integrate AI, robotics and digital mapping to maintain resilience and efficiency in an environment of heightened operational risk.

Updated: November 04, 2026, 8:09 AM.