Flagship Vertical · Aerial / Airfield
Airfield FOD: orchestrated detect-and-remove in a movement gap.
Foreign object debris causes multi-billion-dollar annual losses and catastrophic safety risk. Every fielded market-leading system only detects, then waits for a human crew and a runway closure. The PALVO FOD AGV closes the loop.
The FOD Problem
A bolt on the runway is a multi-billion-dollar risk.
Debris ingested by an engine, cutting a tyre, or striking an airframe can be catastrophic. Aircraft pushback is the highest-stakes movement window — and the hardest to keep clear.
Catastrophic safety exposure
Engine, tyre, and airframe damage from a single overlooked object.
Capacity lost to closures
Manual retrieval means shutting a runway — every minute is throughput gone.
The Market Gap
Detection and removal are decoupled.
The market has solved seeing the debris. It has not solved doing something about it, autonomously, without stopping operations.
Incumbents — detect only
Half a system.
- Fixed towers (FODetect, iFerret, Tarsier) detect and alert only
- Class-enumerative detection struggles with novel objects
- No fleet coordination, no shared situational picture
PALVO — closed loop
A complete system.
- Detect → assess → remove → verify → record, autonomously
- World-model deviation detection handles anything out of place
- A shared digital twin coordinates multiple AGVs
PALVO's Approach
Four orchestrated channels on one autonomous platform.
PALVO coordinates many sensors and a removal actuator on a single platform — the entire perceive-reason-act-supervise loop, on the airfield.
mmWave radar + EO/NIR + LWIR + LiDAR fusion
World-model deviation detection; LLM co-pilot triages risk
Material-adaptive end-effector turret removes + verifies
Shared digital twin coordinates multiple AGVs
System Composition
A closed loop, timed to the movement gap.
Each item flows through a full autonomous cycle — with a complete, auditable record at the end.
Detect
Fused sensing flags an object against the world model
Assess
Classify material, size, risk; the co-pilot triages priority
Remove
A material-adaptive end-effector retrieves the item
Verify
Post-grasp confirmation that the surface is clear
Record
Per-item digital-twin entry for SMS and audit
Key Specifications & KPIs
Engineered to the standard, verified in the field.
Target performance for the FOD AGV, benchmarked against FAA detection criteria. Figures are design targets for the current development phase.
Standards & Compliance
Architected to the regulatory baseline.
The FOD AGV is designed around the airport-safety and detection standards evaluators already trust.
How PALVO Compares
The only platform that detects and removes.
A comparison of fielded and emerging FOD systems across the capabilities that actually keep a runway clear.
| System | Detect | Autonomous removal | World model | Fleet coordination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarsier | Yes | No | No | No |
| FODetect | Yes | No | No | No |
| iFerret | Yes | No | No | No |
| ArgosAI | Yes | No | No | No |
| Trex FOD Finder | Yes | No | No | No |
| Plextek | Yes | No | No | No |
| FODRo | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Airtrek | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| PALVO FOD AGV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Comparison based on publicly documented system capabilities and the FAA worldwide FOD assessment. Sources: FAA AC 150/5210-24, FAA AC 150/5220-24.
Roles It Serves
One system, three stakeholders.
The FOD AGV is built to satisfy the people who own runway safety — with the evidence each of them needs.
Duty Manager
Clearance assurance — a runway confirmed clear, on demand.
Safety / SMS Officer
An auditable, per-item digital-twin record for every retrieval.
Tower Controller
Positive-control interlocks integrated with A-SMGCS workflows.
Pilot the FOD AGV at your airport.
We're selecting launch partners for the Phase 1 proof-of-concept. If you own runway safety, let's talk.