Overview
Shield AI delivers mission-critical autonomy software (Hivemind) and integrated autonomy solutions—EdgeOS (deterministic middleware), Pilot (catalog of autonomous behaviors), Forge (autonomy factory), and Commander (C2 integration)—to accelerate development, testing, certification, and deployment of autonomous systems in contested, GPS- and comms-denied environments. The company pairs production-proven autonomy on platforms like V-BAT, MQ-20 Avenger, MQM-178 Firejet and X-62 VISTA with engineering services and tooling to help OEMs, governments, and partners build, validate, and field autonomy at scale. (Source: shield.ai pages: homepage, enterprise, hivemind-solutions, pilot, edgeOS, forge, v-bat, about.) Pricing and public documentation hub were not found on the public site; the product is positioned for enterprise/defense customers with engagement via sales/contact rather than self-serve pricing or publicly listed plans.
Key Features
EdgeOS (Deterministic Middleware)
Low-latency, shared-memory communication architecture for predictable real-time autonomy, with EOSLang, C++ core, and Python/TypeScript bindings for developer integration.
Pilot (Autonomy Catalog)
Pre-built, production-ready behaviors for state estimation, mapping, sensing, object tracking, task/behavior/motion planning, and multi-agent teaming.
Forge (Autonomy Factory)
End-to-end development tooling including scalable simulation (SimBlocks), CI/CD, HIL/SIL support, test orchestration, analytics, and reporting to accelerate production readiness.
Commander (C2 Integration)
Backend translation and interfacing layer to connect Hivemind systems to existing command-and-control and fleet-management solutions.
Run-Time Assurance & Certification Support
Emphasis on airworthiness and ASTM F3269-21 RTA components for monitoring, safety artifacts, and certification-ready workflows and evidence.
Multi-domain & Resilient Operations
Designed for contested, GPS- and comms-denied operations across air and maritime domains, with SATCOM/anti-jam considerations and resilient multi-domain support.
Who Can Use This Tool?
- OEMs & Platform Providers:Integrate Shield AI autonomy into aircraft, UAS, and robotic platforms for mission readiness.
- Defense & Government:Deploy certified autonomy for ISR, targeting, and contested-environment missions at scale.
- Autonomy Developers & Integrators:Use Forge, EdgeOS, and Pilot to build, simulate, test, and field autonomous behaviors rapidly.
- Systems Integrators:Leverage Commander and Hivemind to connect autonomy to existing C2 and fleet-management solutions.
Pricing Plans
Pricing information is not available yet.
Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- ✓Mission-proven autonomy: demonstrated on X-62 VISTA, MQ-20 Avenger, V-BAT, MQM-178 Firejet (real-world validations).
- ✓Comprehensive autonomy stack: EdgeOS (low-latency middleware), Pilot (behavior library), Forge (testing/simulation/CI), Commander (C2 integration).
- ✓Strong focus on certification, safety, and run-time assurance for fielded, auditable autonomy.
- ✓Scalable development tooling (Forge) from laptop to cloud, HIL/SIL support, and performance analytics.
✗ Cons
- ✗No public pricing or self-serve plans; prospective customers must contact sales.
- ✗The contact page showed issues during extraction (possible broken form), which could hinder immediate outreach.
- ✗Website content is defense/enterprise focused; not targeted to hobbyists or open-source community.
Compare with Alternatives
| Feature | Shield AI | Agent Herbie | CrewAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Rating | 8.4/10 | 8.1/10 | 8.4/10 |
| Edge Determinism | Yes | No | Partial |
| Air‑gap Support | Partial | Yes | No |
| Multi‑Agent Orchestration | Yes | No | Yes |
| C2 Integration | Yes | No | No |
| Certification & Assurance | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Autonomy Dev Tools | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Governance & Observability | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| Resilience & Multi‑Domain | Yes | No | Partial |
Related Articles (3)
Shield AI is opening an autonomous flight-test facility in Newton, Kansas, creating up to 60 jobs.
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Navy SEAL Joe Hildebrand overcomes injury and channels service into AI-driven lifesaving work with Shield AI.
