Mobile robot powered by Huntsville-based Aerobotix wins top defense tech award—What you need to know

Huntsville-based robotics manufacturer Aerobotix, in partnership with Atlanta’s Compass Technology Group, just took home one of the top awards in defense manufacturing.

Read on to find out more about the robot and how it will make Air Force operations more efficient.

The award

Aerobotix and CTG won the Readiness Improvement Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award at the DOD Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s Defense Manufacturing Conference in December 2021.

The robot

Aerobotix and CTG’s collaboration was an adaptive radome diagnostic system developed for use by the Air Force. The project was funded through the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research program.

What does that mean? Effectively, the bot uses microwave signals to scan aircraft radomes, which are weatherproof structures that protect radar systems. The robot is programmed to detect radome issues like delamination, or a degradation of the materials that make up the radome, and water ingress, when weatherproofing fails and allows water into the structure.

The robot uses LiDAR to navigate around the work zone and is able to find the spot where repairs are needed and analyze the relevant parts.

About Aerobotix

Huntsville-headquartered robotics company Aerobotix specializes in automation and advanced metrology in the defense and aerospace industries. Aerobotix robots perform the following functions:

• inspection systems
• metrology, or measuring and modeling using 3D scanning technology
• mobile robots using automated guided vehicles
• painting and coating systems
• sanding systems

“Aerobotix is perhaps best known for robotic painting, but this award for our work with CTG highlights our expertise in metrology and navigation systems. We are a reliable automation integrator for the aerospace industry and excited to partner with other companies on future projects.”

Jost Tuttle, Aerobotix Business Development Manager, in a press release

Are you as proud of this Huntsville-based company as we are? Let them know on social media, and be sure to tag @hvilleblast and use #hvilleblast.