Autonomous Airfield Operations
Our mission is to protect your personnel, passengers, and assets.
Built for reliability, safety, and rapid deployment
Request a DemoFOD-BOT Service Cycle
FOD-BOT — Autonomous FOD Removal, End-to-End
FOD-BOT operates as a full-cycle service: it runs scheduled or on-demand missions, returns to self-charge autonomously, and empties collected debris via self-disposal—all with real-time oversight through Essential Commander and Ops Supervisor.
Request a DemoMissions
Deploy FOD-BOT on scheduled routes (e.g., nightly apron sweeps) or launch on demand during weather events or after peak turns. Missions are point-and-click from Essential Commander and tracked by Essential Ops Supervisor for full transparency and compliance.
Typical Mission Flow: Dispatch → Sweep → Return → Autocheck → Next Mission
Self-Charging
Between missions, FOD-BOT aligns to a weatherproof wireless dock and recharges autonomously. Charging windows can be scheduled to match your operations tempo, ensuring the robot is always ready for the next sweep with zero staff intervention.
Outcome: Higher uptime, fewer manual touchpoints, predictable readiness.
Self-Disposal
Collected FOD is automatically deposited at a designated disposal station. The robot executes a safe emptying sequence to keep debris contained and off the movement areas—streamlining compliance and reducing staff burden.
Outcome: Closed-loop operations—no manual cleanup or sorting between runs.
See a Live Demo
Technology
Essential Core is the onboard autonomy software stack that powers the FOD-BOT and Supply-BOT. Operating directly at the edge, it fuses real-time sensor data from LiDAR, radar, GPS, and onboard cameras to deliver full mission autonomy—covering perception, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and adaptive path planning. It represents the robot’s “central nervous system,” enabling safe, repeatable operations without human input. Essential Core continuously evaluates its environment, adapts to surface and weather changes, and maintains mission integrity through advanced decision logic tailored for airport operations.
See FeaturesEssential Ops Supervisor is the fleet management layer that connects every robot in the field to Essential Aero’s operations ecosystem. Hosted within the EA Console App, it provides real-time command, control, and situational awareness for airport operations teams—whether managing a single FOD-BOT or a multi-robot fleet. Ops Supervisor monitors mission progress, visualizes telemetry, tracks charging and disposal cycles, and logs performance metrics for compliance and ROI analysis. It is designed for operational transparency and remote oversight—enabling airside supervisors to coordinate missions safely, efficiently, and autonomously.
See DashboardEssential Commander is the human interface and control application—the EA Console App—that unifies the entire Essential Aero ecosystem. Built as a browser-based, ROS2-connected control hub, it serves as the user's primary window into the robot network. Through Commander, operators can plan missions, visualize airfield maps, configure zones, issue manual overrides, and analyze performance trends—all in one unified dashboard. It bridges field autonomy and human supervision, offering point-and-click mission planning, intuitive fleet visualization, and full integration with both Essential Core and Essential Ops Supervisor.
Explore Commander
Essential Mesh
is a resilient communication network for seamless fleet coordination. Self-healing mesh architecture maintains connectivity across the entire airfield, even in challenging RF environments.
Explore MeshPartners