Vigilant Aerospace Systems has been named one of the world’s most promising four Robotics and Automation companies in Fast Company’s 2026 Next Big Things in Tech awards
The recognition highlightsFlightHorizon PILOT, the company’s onboard safety and collision avoidance technology for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). Fast Company recognized Vigilant Aerospace “for bringing better situational airspace awareness to drones.”
The article explains:
“As drones take on an increasing range of responsibilities, Vigilant Aerospace Systems aims to help them share the air with FlightHorizon PILOT. This hardware-software combination processes transponder signals from other aircraft, guiding uncrewed aerial vehicles away from other airspace users. Vigilant has also recently deployed a ground-based version for general-aviation airports to manage human- and robot-flown operations.
FlightHorizon PILOT builds on two licensed NASA patents. Its development has also been advanced through a U.S. Air Force research project focused on onboard detect-and-avoid technology. The ground-based system, called FlightHorizon TEMPO, uses radar and aircraft tracking data to give operators a live view of nearby crewed and uncrewed aircraft, helping airports, test ranges and flight corridors monitor shared airspace from the ground.
Recognizing Technologies With Long-Term Potential
Now in its sixth year, Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech awards recognize emerging technologies that could change how people work and live.
The 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list includes 145 honorees across 31 categories. They range from advances in artificial intelligence and medicine to robotics, energy and space technology.
Fast Company’s editors and writers reviewed more than 1,000 applications to select the 145 companies for the 2026 awards. They evaluated each technology based on its relevance, ingenuity, demonstrated progress, scalability and possible impact over the next five years.
The honorees were selected through several rounds of evaluation and discussion over multiple months. As a result, the program considers both what a technology has already accomplished and where it could lead.
Fast Company global technology editor Harry McCracken explains,
“To be a Next Big Things in Tech honoree, a project needs to start with a fresh idea and show signs of momentum, but it’s also about where it could go in the years to come. We want to spotlight innovations that will help shape the future of business and technology over the next five years.”
Why Fast Company Highlighted FlightHorizon PILOT
In its Robotics and Automation coverage, Fast Company focused on the growing need for drones to share airspace with other aircraft.
FlightHorizon PILOT processes onboard radar data, aircraft transponder signals and its own autopilot location data. It uses that information to detect and track approaching aircraft, automatically identify potential conflicts and to calculate and provide an avoidance command to provide to the autopilot or to a remote pilot.
This capability becomes more important as drones take on additional responsibilities. Longer flights and broader operating areas increase the likelihood that uncrewed aircraft will encounter other airspace users.
Fast Company also noted Vigilant Aerospace’s ground-based airspace management technology. These products provide airspace awareness for airports, test sites and other fixed operating locations.
Vigilant Aerospace CEO and co-founder Kraettli L. Epperson said the recognition reflects the growing need for onboard safety systems as drone operations expand:
“We are honored to receive this recognition from Fast Company,. As autonomous aircraft take on more work, they need a reliable way to detect and avoid other aircraft in the airspace. FlightHorizon PILOT brings that safety capability onboard and makes it automatic. Drones are an inevitable part of our future and our aim is to help the aviation industry integrate drones safely and keep everyone flying.”
Part of a Broad Group of Technology Honorees
The recognition places Vigilant Aerospace among other 2026 winners like Algen Biotechnologies, Inc. which combines genetics and artificial intelligence to study disease and identify possible treatments; Emulate, Inc. which develops devices containing human cells that mimic aspects of organ function and could reduce the need for animal testing in drug development; and Synaptics, Inc. for their open-source Astra platform that brings real-time edge intelligence to home appliances, medical devices, and retail systems.
Within the Robotics and Automation category, Vigilant Aerospace was recognized alongside FieldAI, GelSight and Hexagon AB. Their work covers robot intelligence, tactile sensing and humanoid industrial robots.
Together, the honorees show how automation increasingly depends on sensing, awareness and real-time decision-making.
Preparing for More Routine Drone Operations
FlightHorizon technology is based on two licensed NASA patents and related NASA research. Vigilant Aerospace has used the technology in projects involving NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Air Force.
The company has also deployed FlightHorizon at UAS test sites and flight corridors across the United States. These projects have supported both onboard detect-and-avoid development and ground-based airspace management.
For aircraft manufacturers and operators, FlightHorizon PILOT offers a way to bring traffic awareness and collision avoidance onboard their aircraft. These capabilities are especially relevant as the industry prepares for more routine flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
The FAA is preparing to publish new drone regulations that are expected to enable routine flight of drones over long distances and with weights up to 1,320 lbs. This would enable beyond visual line-of-sight flight of drones for missions like search and rescue, inspection and delivery of goods. However, longer-distance drone flights will still require integrated, automatic and reliable methods for keeping uncrewed aircraft clear of other airspace users.
FlightHorizon PILOT is designed to support that requirement by detecting, tracking and providing commands to avoid other aircraft during flight and can help drone operators to meet new and existing regulations and safety requirements.
View Vigilant Aerospace’s recognition in Fast Company’s Robotics and Automation category and explore the complete 2026 Next Big Things in Tech list.
