Robotics

Percepto Launches Axion AI Platform for Inspection Data

Autonomous drone inspection provider Percepto has introduced Axion, marking the company's strategic shift toward a software-first approach.

Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer

Published: October 30, 2026 · Updated: October 30, 2026 · 3 min read

Percepto Launches Axion AI Platform for Inspection Data — Image: The Robot Report

Shift to a Software-First Strategy

Autonomous drone inspection provider Percepto has launched Axion, a hardware-agnostic physical AI platform that marks a major strategic shift for the company toward a software-first approach. According to the company, the new platform allows critical infrastructure operators to analyze data from any third-party drone or sensor network to help prevent equipment failures before they escalate.

Founded in 2014, Percepto stated that its initial team built the technology required for scale, while its new management brings decades of independent experience spanning robotics, sensors, the Internet of Things, physical AI, and cybersecurity. The company maintains its base in Modi’in, Israel, alongside its U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas.

New Leadership and Operational Vision

Julien Bellanger recently assumed leadership of the company from longtime CEO Dor Abuhasira, alongside new revenue and marketing executives. Percepto noted that these executive changes signal its broader strategic pivot from a hardware-centric autonomous drone manufacturer into a software-first physical AI provider.

“When I looked at Percepto, I saw a company that had already done the hardest part: fully autonomous drones flying real missions every day at some of the most demanding industrial sites in the country,” Bellanger explained. He added that the company is taking its operational intelligence beyond its proprietary fleet and opening it up to the entire industry.

While pivoting strategically toward software, Percepto stated that it plans to continue selling, deploying, and supporting its existing product line of drones and drone docks. Manufacturing operations for these hardware systems will be located onshore in the United States to align with the American Drone Dominance Initiatives.

Capabilities of the Axion Platform

Percepto designed the Axion platform to add value across mission-critical operations, targeting upstream oil and gas, power transmission and distribution, and downstream processing facilities. The company stated that Axion ingests diverse data sources and provides actionable insights utilizing more than 160 artificial intelligence models.

Offered as a software-as-a-service solution, Axion organizes inspection data by asset and applies artificial intelligence to interpret equipment condition within context. Operators are not tied to a single hardware provider because the platform ingests data from supported third-party drone platforms, fixed and mobile sensors, and existing inspection archives.

Advanced Querying and Asset Insight

Percepto claimed that Axion can recognize specific issues, such as identifying a downed wire by evaluating its relationship to surrounding components or assessing a thermal anomaly against expected asset behavior and environmental conditions. Every finding is supported by inspection history and expert validation.

Additionally, the platform incorporates large language model capabilities that enable users to submit plain-language queries across the corpus of inspection data. This feature allows teams to quickly find answers and extract valuable operational signals from their archives.