Sri Lankan robotics startup Scouts has deployed an autonomous aerial monitoring system at two Vidullanka PLC solar power plants, in what the two companies describe as the country’s first drone-enhanced security installation (Daily FT; Colombo Gazette).
The deployment was completed in September 2026, around 11 months after Scouts began operations. Vidullanka is the company’s first customer for the autonomous system.
What was installed
The installation pairs a pilotless drone with a weatherproof docking and charging station and software that flags unusual conditions — an end-to-end package of hardware, software and monitoring that Scouts says is designed, manufactured and managed locally.
The drone carries 4K and thermal cameras, and the companies list the conditions it is meant to pick up as:
- damaged fencing
- vegetation encroachment
- equipment faults and maintenance needs
- fires and other risks
The stated purpose is to extend what a security team can cover rather than replace it, letting staff patrol more ground and respond to alerts instead of walking the perimeter continuously. The partners also point to infrastructure inspection and environmental observation as further uses.
The sites
The two solar plants have a combined capacity of 4MW, and the companies put their annual output at roughly 7.7 gigawatt-hours.
Scouts co-founder and chief executive Kalana Muthumuni tied the partnership to building local manufacturing and monitoring capability for estates, plantations and energy infrastructure. Vidullanka director of operations Roshan Siriwardena described the installation as part of the company’s automation and digital technology work in renewable energy, and highlighted the decision to work with a Sri Lankan startup.
Scouts closed a funding round earlier this year at a reported valuation of Rs. 1.6 billion.
Not reported
Neither account gives the locations of the two solar plants, the contract value, or how many drones are deployed. There is no independent assessment of the claim that this is the first such system in Sri Lanka, and no detail on flight approvals or how the drones are regulated. Both reports rest on the companies’ own announcement; no third party is quoted.
