08 October 2026 | News
Image Courtesy: Public Domain
Hexagon Robotics is proud to announce that AEON has been named an honouree in Fast Company’s 2026 Next Big Things in Tech, an annual list recognising breakthrough technologies with the potential to transform industries and shape the future.
Built for real industrial work, AEON is a multi-purpose humanoid designed to bring greater autonomy to manufacturing. At human scale, it is designed to operate in existing industrial environments, using spaces and tools already built for people without requiring facilities to be redesigned around the robot.
AEON combines mobility, manipulation, precision sensing and spatial intelligence to perform a broad range of industrial applications, from machine tending and material handling to inspection and reality capture. Its wheel-based mobility enables fast and energy-efficient movement across factory floors, while modular end effectors allow it to adapt to different tasks. Drawing on Hexagon’s expertise in precision measurement and digital reality, AEON uses an advanced sensor suite and spatial intelligence to understand and operate within complex industrial environments.
Designed for continuous industrial operation, AEON can autonomously swap its battery in under 25 seconds, maximising uptime and allowing robots to move between applications rather than remaining tied to a single task.
AEON is already being developed and deployed with leading industrial companies. At BMW Group’s Leipzig plant, AEON is performing production tasks as part of a multi-stage programme, while Hexagon Robotics and Schaeffler are working towards deploying at least 1,000 AEON robots across Schaeffler’s global manufacturing network by 2032.
“The future of humanoid robotics will not be defined by what robots can demonstrate once, but by the value they can deliver every day. We built AEON to operate in the environments industry already has, combining mobility, manipulation and spatial intelligence to take on different tasks. This recognition from Fast Company is another important milestone as we move humanoid robotics from demonstration to real industrial deployment.” — Arnaud Robert, President, Hexagon Robotics
Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech recognises innovative technologies developed by established companies, startups and research teams that are making meaningful progress towards transforming the lives of consumers, businesses and society. This year’s honourees span industries, with each innovation demonstrating the potential to create significant impact in the years ahead.
“The most exciting technology innovations are the ones that move beyond promise to demonstrate real potential for impact,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The companies and teams recognized on this year’s list are tackling ambitious problems with new ideas, products, and approaches that have the potential to fundamentally shape the years ahead.”
