Pilatus Aircraft is evaluating AEON, the humanoid robot from Hexagon Robotics, in its production hangars. Pilatus says it is the first time the company has deployed a robot resembling a human being, though it already uses other robots.
The first use case is a component check. AEON navigates independently to an assembly, a PC-24 side wall for example, and verifies that an employee installed the right component in the right place. Before testing can begin, the robot has to recognize on its own which assembly sits where in the large production hall. Pilatus says the goal is to "tighten up quality inspections and improve overall quality."
For quality engineers, the task is the point. AEON checks the work of people on the line, and Pilatus says it could also review the day's tasks overnight.
Pilatus describes AEON as a mix of sensor technology, AI, precision measuring capability and motion control. It can manipulate objects, inspect parts and make digital recordings while moving through complex surroundings. In Hexagon's own materials, the robot runs on NVIDIA Jetson computing, uses maxon actuators for locomotion and swaps batteries instead of recharging. Pilatus calls safety paramount, with no risk to people or components as the robot moves through the buildings.
Benjamin Mettler, Head of Structure Assembly at Pilatus, hosts the robot in his hangar. "Initially, the robot triggered a certain sense of unease among some employees in my team," he said. "But we certainly recognize the robot's potential. The system still needs a lot of work before it's ready for use in the future."
Hexagon introduced AEON in June 2025 and named Pilatus and Schaeffler as pilot partners. Hexagon Robotics is testing the robot with BMW and other manufacturers.
Pilatus plans to use humanoids to improve safety, increase autonomy and assist workers on repetitive or physically demanding tasks. Kilian Läubli, a project manager at Pilatus who oversees the project, said those are jobs for which the company generally has difficulty recruiting staff. He also said a regulatory framework still has to be set up to define how such robots can be used legally.
