Each year, professionals at the intersection of energy, industrial operations as well as cutting-edge robotics, drones and geospatial converge for one purpose: to connect, innovate and scale the future of automation at the Energy Drone & Robotics Summit (EDR Summit). Now entering its 9th year the EDR Summit is back—and better than ever.
Taking place from June 16th to 18th at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott, in Houston, Texas,
the event will bring together more than 1,600 global leaders in the energy and utility industries to focus on the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), robotics, data/AI, 3D reality capture, geospatial tech, digital twins and other emerging tech. This gathering isn’t just a conference—it’s a thriving community built around a tech ecosystem that spans from the air to sea floor.
A Summit Built for Action
Our team designed this year’s event for the operators, decision-makers and innovators who are driving real-world adoption and return on investment (ROI) in energy and industrial environments. It will span three packed days of keynotes, panels, forums and demos—with expo hours that double as networking hubs and hands-on tech discovery zones. You can expect:
- Live demos and innovation showcases in the Expo Hall
- Keynotes and general sessions with asset owners and forward-thinking engineers
- Breakout forums tailored by tech and sector
- Receptions and networking opportunities every evening
There are also three co-located events, all included in the full conference pass, including:
- Petroleum Users Group’s (PUG’s) Q2 meeting
- Women in Robotics & Energy (WIRE)
- DRONERESPONDERS Emergency Response Forum
From check-in on Monday to Wednesday’s final breakout sessions, we developed this summit to help you build relationships and move your robotics programs forward.
Where Robotics, Energy and Intelligence Collide
Let’s take a closer look at the major themes and content tracks for this year’s summit. These aren’t just buzzwords—they’re urgent topics defining the future of industrial automation.
UAV Operations
Explore fleet management, mission planning, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) regulations and use cases in inspection, emergency response and surveying. Hear from companies flying hundreds of missions annually—and learn how they’re measuring success.
Robotics for Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair
From confined-space crawlers to robotic arms with AI diagnostics, dig into how robots are reducing risk, downtime and cost across the asset lifecycle.
Industrial Digital Twins and Reality Capture
Learn how digital replicas of physical systems are streamlining operations and predicting failure before it happens. Dive into 3D scanning, photogrammetry and LiDAR systems that support these high-fidelity digital models.
Envision Energy: Data Visualization, GIS, and AI
You’ve collected the data—now what? This theme tackles the visualization and geospatial tools that turn drone and robot data into insights. Topics include machine learning for defect detection, GIS overlays for infrastructure planning and AI-based analytics.
Industrial AI Automation
Automation is no longer just about machines—it’s about decision-making. These sessions will focus on how AI is optimizing inspections, driving predictive maintenance and creating autonomous systems that learn in real time.
Construction Robotics
Explore how drones, robots and reality capture tools are transforming construction workflows, reducing rework and enabling real-time progress monitoring.
Industrial Cargo Drones
Cargo drones are moving beyond concept and into real-world logistics. These sessions will cover the development of heavy-lift UAVs and autonomous delivery systems tailored for industrial use.
Marine, Ground, and Humanoid Robotics
Whether it’s underwater drones inspecting offshore rigs or all-terrain robots mapping transmission lines, this track goes deep—literally. And yes, humanoid robots are part of the discussion now, too!
Who’s Attending?
Whether you’re an asset owner, engineer, operator or tech vendor, the EDR summit offers something you won’t find anywhere else: access to the largest and most influential gathering of people actually deploying drones, robotics and data systems in the field. Connect with:
- Energy and utility companies
- Oil and gas operators
- Renewable energy leaders
- Tech and AI providers
- Industrial robotics manufacturers
- Drone and robotics service providers
- Geospatial and data visualization specialists
- Surveying and mapping firms
- Industrial inspection companies
These aren’t hypothetical case studies or vague conversations. These are deep-dives into what’s working, what’s coming and how to scale. And the biggest names in the business will be there, so you’ll be in good company. Organizations from over 200 energy/utility companies are attending the event include:
- Shell
- Southern Company
- Dow
- ExxonMobil
- Chevron
- Entergy
- Marathon Petroleum
- Entreprise Products
- Koch/Invista
- Exelon
- FPL
Why You Should Attend
If your organization is still piloting drone projects or exploring robotic inspection tools, this is where you fast-track your roadmap. And if you’re already deploying UAV fleets or implementing AI-enabled digital twins, you’ll find peers to share best practices and next-gen tools to level up.
“The EDR Summit is an excellent venue to see the cutting edge of drone and robotic technology that the industry is using to improve how they do business. The presentations are timely and relevant, and the speakers are knowledgeable. You can find an info track that is relevant to your industry, and the show floor is packed with exhibitors who are enthusiastically ready to talk to you. If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of drones and robotics, the EDR Summit should be on your ‘must attend’ list.”
– Everett Bradshaw, AMPP
Here’s what you can expect:
- Hear from the experts. The summit gathers the best and brightest from every corner of the energy robotics world—those creating solutions and those using them in the field.
- See the future in action. From robot dogs to next-gen UAVs, the expo hall is where theory meets practical deployment.
- Meet your next collaborator. Whether you’re an operator, tech developer, or executive, this event is a networking goldmine.
- Get practical. Walk away with playbooks, checklists, vendor contacts, and ROI benchmarks you can actually apply.
- Stay ahead. The tech is evolving fast. The 2025 summit will help you evaluate what’s hype and what’s ready to deploy.
Don’t Miss Out
The 2025 Energy Drone & Robotics Summit isn’t just another conference—it’s the global crossroads of automation in energy. If your organization touches asset inspection, maintenance, data collection, safety or operations in any way, this event will reshape how you think about what’s possible. Secure your spot now—advanced pricing opportunities end soon.
The future is unmanned. The insights are unmatched. See you in the Woodlands in June!
By: Sean Guerre and Megan Horn