SpectX founder Akhilesh Goveas: “TU Delft doesn't work with just anyone. It gives customers confidence that they do.

We launched in September 2021 and are developing and testing one of the few X-ray inspection systems in the world that uses drones. This enables X-ray inspections at locations outside of hospitals or special lead chambers. This allows us to detect defects invisible to the naked eye, such as cracks, delamination, or loose layers in wind turbine blades. We can also detect cracks in power lines and bridges. We use various techniques for this, including backscatter X-ray and GPR, without damaging anything.

We primarily supply our system as a product to service companies or owners of large installations such as TenneT, General Electric Vernova, and RES Group. We are also exploring offering it as a service, but that's still an open question. My connection with TU Delft goes back to my student days, but it was still difficult to get in. Even as a former student, I found it difficult to find the right people. Eindhoven University of Technology was quicker in the beginning and started research projects with us earlier.

Establishing Contact

Our breakthrough at TU Delft came when Anske Plante of the TU Delft Innovation & Impact Centre discovered us during her search for Delft startups. She connected us with the right people. From that moment on, everything changed. Now we collaborate on several projects: swarms of drones for offshore inspections with the Swarming Lab, diagnostics using X-ray technology with the Structures department of Aerospace Engineering, and more robust flight control for drone swarms.

Initially, I was often told "no" or that I was with the wrong person. Even finding an internship or a graduate student was difficult. The TU Delft website didn't make it any easier: you had to click through countless layers before finding someone. Nevertheless, the university gave us a significant boost early on with a €5,000 startup fund. That amount was incredibly valuable to us at the time; it allowed us to conduct experiments that would otherwise have been unaffordable.

TU Delft's Contribution

This collaboration benefits both parties. That's great. We need a research institute to secure major funding. And TU Delft needs SMEs to access certain grants. A four-year project with a full-time PhD candidate is currently underway, and we're working on a project proposal worth over a million euros.

Stimulating Entrepreneurship

The quality of the collaboration is high, but the pace is slower than with a startup. We're small—without layers of management—and we can launch immediately. TU Delft is large and bureaucratic, meaning it sometimes takes months for something to truly get going. But once it's up and running, it's truly top-notch.

Impact on SpectX

For us, the collaboration is very important. It gives us trust and credibility with clients; TU Delft doesn't work with just anyone. It also provides knowledge, access to bright students, and sometimes access to labs and components. We often hire students who graduate from our program. The collaboration also strengthens our R&D program. Because I studied at TU Delft myself, it felt extra special when we finally started working on projects together. I know the high quality of research and education and how challenging it is to graduate there. I've joked that it's harder to graduate from TU Delft than to get in.

Hope for the future

We hope that the ongoing projects will soon lead to concrete products that we can sell together with consortium partners. Think of drone systems for offshore inspections, where TU Delft can receive licensing fees and we can expand our market. We also want to develop new technology, such as drones that can navigate without GPS or internet. This is useful in the event of fires, gas leaks, or maritime accidents.

Furthermore, we are interested in sensor technology from TU Delft that we can commercially deploy on our drones. Our work remains focused on civilian applications, but many technologies overlap with defense applications.

What TU Delft can learn

We learn much more from TU Delft than they do from us. But perhaps they can learn from our pace: how to achieve a lot with limited resources and how to transform ideas into products. TU Delft has an incredible amount of technology at its disposal, but it often remains at the level of research and publications. There is still untapped potential in bringing their innovations to market.

SpectX and Holland High Tech

In addition to its collaboration with TU Delft, SpectX is also innovating with Eindhoven University of Technology. This includes the Dynamic Swarm Coordination for Solar Irradiance Mapping and Monitoring project, where it is one of thirteen awarded projects in Holland High Tech's 2024 SME high-tech call.

In this project, SpectX is developing imaging technologies specifically for solar farms. By equipping drones in formations with high-resolution cameras and AI-driven data processing, cloud dynamics and radiation patterns can be accurately mapped. This results in better predictions for solar energy production. Validation takes place in digital simulation environments, largely eliminating costly physical testing. This knowledge valorization provides society with scalable solutions: more reliable energy forecasts, more efficient use of solar farms, and broader possibilities for environmental monitoring.

A new Holland High Tech SME high-tech call will be launched at the end of 2025. Keep an eye on our website for more information.