Sonobotics exists to create a new era of inspection—one where Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) is no longer a limitation but an integrated, intelligent capability on every robotic platform.
Born from the NDE Group at Imperial College London, we unite world-leading research with engineering excellence to unlock what was once impossible: autonomous inspection across the most confined, hazardous, and complex environments—delivered with unmatched precision, speed, and efficiency.
We’re not just improving the tools of today—we’re building the inspection ecosystem of tomorrow.
By pioneering technologies that merge robotics, sensing, and intelligence, Sonobotics enables industries to move beyond costly downtime, dangerous interventions, and outdated methods, towards continuous, seamless, and data-rich inspection workflows.
Our vision is simple but bold:
Transform inspection from a necessary task into a powerful, integrated advantage—safer, faster, and smarter than ever before.
LEADERSHIP
Pouyan Khalili co-founded SONOBOTICS to transform inspection from a routine task into a strategic advantage — delivering precision, speed, and reliability in the world’s most demanding environments.
His background spans ultra-low-power electronics and advanced ultrasonic inspection, developed during his PhD and postdoctoral research at Imperial College London’s NDE Group, where he first applied novel ultrasonic methods to real-world industrial challenges in partnership with leading global organisations.
At SONOBOTICS, he now drives the mission to merge world-class engineering with intelligent robotics — enabling industry to move beyond downtime, risk, and outdated methods, and into an era of faster, safer, and more data-driven operations.
Dr. Khalili currently serves as the CEO and Director of Sonobotics.
Dr. Frederic Cegla is a Reader in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, where he leads research in Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), and Physical Acoustics within the NDE group. He holds a PhD degree from Imperial, and previously served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland.
Dr. Cegla is a Fellow of the British Institute of Non‑Destructive Testing (BINDT) and has chaired the Physical Acoustics Group of the Institute of Physics (UK and Ireland). His accolades include a prestigious EPSRC Fellowship and the 2016 Achenbach Medal, awarded in recognition of his significant contributions to SHM.
Beyond academia, he co-founded Permasense Ltd, a spin-out known for wireless ultrasonic corrosion monitoring systems. He served as its director as the company grew, before its acquisition by Emerson in 2016.
Dr. Cegla currently serves as the Chairman and Director of Sonobotics.