In response to growing global labor shortages affecting manufacturing and industrial sectors, Hexagon has introduced AEON, a state-of-the-art humanoid robot specifically engineered for industrial environments.
Unveiled at the company's flagship Hexagon LIVE Global event on June 17, 2025, AEON represents a culmination of Hexagon's decade-long robotics innovation efforts. The humanoid combines the company's world-class sensor suite with advanced locomotion capabilities, AI-driven mission control, and spatial intelligence to deliver exceptional agility, versatility, and environmental awareness.
"Hexagon's legacy in precision measurement and sensor technologies has always been about enabling next-generation autonomy," said Ola Rollén, Chairman of the Board at Hexagon. "AEON represents a state-of-the-art, industrially bespoke humanoid and a leap forward in our goal to help customers drive sustainable growth in the face of structural demographic changes."
The robot's development addresses a critical challenge facing global industries – by 2030, manufacturing alone could face a worldwide labor shortage of nearly 8 million workers. AEON is designed to perform a wide range of industrial applications, from manipulation and asset inspection to reality capture and operator support across automotive, aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics sectors.
Hexagon's Robotics division has established strategic partnerships with technology leaders to bring AEON to market. NVIDIA provides accelerated computing, simulation capabilities through Omniverse, and edge AI via Jetson platforms. Microsoft Azure enables scalable development and on-demand training of AEON's capabilities, while maxon's next-generation actuators power the robot's efficient locomotion.
Arnaud Robert, President of Hexagon's Robotics division, emphasized the practical focus of AEON: "With AEON, we're advancing physical AI to tackle real operational challenges – bridging cutting-edge technology with practical industry needs. Over the next six months, we'll be deploying AEON in production environments before expanding our commercial rollout."
Two major manufacturers, Schaeffler and Pilatus, will pilot AEON across manipulation, machine tending, part inspection, and reality capture use cases. The robot's unique features include a panoramic camera system, collision sensors, and a battery-swapping mechanism that eliminates downtime, ensuring continuous operation in industrial settings.
As industries worldwide grapple with aging workforces and shifting demographics, AEON represents a significant advancement in humanoid robotics that could help maintain productivity and competitiveness in increasingly challenging labor markets.