i3D Robotics – Optimising Foundation Industries with Digital Vision

By Christopher Pilgrim and Anna Riley

Summary

At the June 2025 IDAIC meeting, Richard French presented a detailed overview of i3D Robotics’ five-year journey applying digital technologies within the UK’s foundation industries. Through the IRIFIO programme – Intelligent Robotic Inspection for Foundation Industry Optimisation – the company outlined both the technical progress achieved and the practical challenges encountered when deploying AI and machine vision in traditional manufacturing environments.

Outputs

• AI enabled robotic inspection technology applied in different foundation industry settings
• Data still being gathered on glass setting but every 1 ton of scrap glass saved, reduces energy consumption by 4GJ per tonne of glass
• With inspection method, reject rates in bricks can be reduced dramatically potentially saving 12% of production.

Background

Founded in 2011 to manufacture stereo or 3D machine vision technologies, i3D Robotics has, over the past five years, shifted its focus towards industrial applications, particularly within heavy manufacturing and advanced materials. This strategic transition, supported by Innovate UK through the Transforming Foundation Industries programme, has centred on adapting machine vision techniques – originally developed for steel inspection – to sectors including ceramics and glass.

IRIFIO Project

Initially, the goal was to create a unified digital robotic inspection platform, but site-specific realities necessitated a more tailored approach. Building a multidisciplinary consortium – including SMEs, data centres, pilot plants, and materials experts – proved central to overcoming the technical and operational challenges of deploying AI systems in environments where production infrastructure could be decades old.

Significant hurdles included poor network infrastructure at many sites and unmanageable data volumes, with initial deployments generating up to three terabytes of data per day per site. Rising energy costs further refocused the project, shifting its priority from exploratory R&D to immediate process optimisation, specifically targeting reductions in energy consumption.

In response, i3D Robotics adapted its approach by moving processing closer to production lines using compact, energy-efficient on-board processors. This change significantly reduced data volumes and enabled more practical deployment across partner sites.

While management teams across partner companies were supportive from the outset, engaging site-level teams required sustained collaboration. By working closely with operational staff and demonstrating clear benefits to daily processes, i3D Robotics successfully deployed demonstrator systems at facilities across the ceramics, glass, and metals sectors.

The developed systems integrated visual imaging, spectrometry, moisture sensing, and chemical analysis to create 3D point cloud visualisations, providing partners with actionable insights into production line performance and defect sources.

Conclusion

Overall, i3D Robotics’ work under the IRIFIO programme illustrates both the potential and complexity of digitalising legacy industries – showing how technical development, energy management, and workforce engagement all play critical roles in industrial digital transformation.