The partnership plans to deploy 1.7 million battery-free IoT sensors at a major US aerospace and defence manufacturer in Q1 2027.
Wiliot and Thinaer have partnered to improve real-time asset tracking across the US defence industrial base. The collaboration will initially focus on monitoring critical materials and components at a major aerospace and defence manufacturer serving the US Department of Defense (DoD).
The companies plan to expand the solution over time, with a roadmap to track millions of assets.
1.7 Million Sensors Planned for 2027
SAN DIEGO, California, October 13, 2026: Wiliot, a provider of Physical AI technology for supply chains, and Thinaer, a provider of Physical AI infrastructure and software, are working together to improve visibility across defence manufacturing operations.
Thinaer plans to begin deploying 1.7 million Wiliot IoT Pixels in the first quarter of 2027 at the initial customer’s facilities. The deployment is expected to lay the groundwork for wider adoption of Physical AI across the defence industrial base.
The partnership also marks Wiliot’s entry into the defence market. The company has previously deployed its technology across retail, postal and parcel services, logistics, and food and beverage.
Improving Visibility Across Manufacturing
Defence manufacturing often involves complex production processes. Materials and components can pass through ten or more transformations and move between multiple locations, including temporary external facilities.
Without continuous tracking, manufacturers may struggle to locate critical components or identify delays. Real-time asset visibility can help teams monitor material movements, spot bottlenecks and respond before disruptions affect production schedules.
Bryan Merckling, CEO of Thinaer, said: “True Physical AI closes the gap between raw material and intelligent action. When every object on the factory floor is ambiently connected, the floor becomes a dynamic, self-navigating ecosystem where materials communicate their own state, location, and operational readiness to the systems and humans moving them,”
He added: “Wiliot IoT Pixels’ combination of size, cost, and battery-free operation lets us connect far more of those materials to the ‘Connect Everything’ layer of our Physical AI platform.”
Battery-Free Sensors Enable Asset Tracking
Wiliot IoT Pixels are stamp-sized, battery-free Bluetooth sensors. They can be attached to materials, parts and containers to collect and transmit data for real-time asset tracking.
Wiliot’s Physical AI platform processes this data to generate asset-level insights. Thinaer integrates these insights with information from its wider sensor infrastructure.
The combined solution is designed to give defence teams a shared view of operations across facilities. It can help them track assets, identify bottlenecks and address delays.
The resulting data can also help AI systems interpret physical operations. This may support earlier identification of disruptions and help manufacturers maintain production schedules.
Encrypted Data and Secure Cloud Infrastructure
Data security is a key part of the partnership, particularly for defence applications involving sensitive operational information.
According to the companies, Wiliot IoT Pixels transmit encrypted data. The data remains protected during collection and relay until it reaches a processing environment behind secure firewalls.
Thinaer’s platform operates in secure government cloud environments, including Impact Level 5 (IL5) environments. These capabilities form part of the security infrastructure supporting the planned defence applications.
Alex Sliwinski, Vice President of Sales at Wiliot, said: “Defense manufacturers need continuous insight into their operations and control over the sensitive information those operations generate,”
He added: “Encrypted data at the asset level is fundamental to serving this market. With Thinaer, we can put that data to work securely across the materials and parts on which defense production depends.”
Scope for Wider Industrial Adoption
The initial deployment is intended to support broader use of Physical AI across defence manufacturing. The companies’ roadmap aims to extend tracking to millions of assets.
Thinaer has identified additional customers for the joint solution. Its existing work in healthcare and other industrial markets could also create opportunities to expand the partnership beyond defence.
The collaboration brings together battery-free sensors, connected assets and AI-driven insights to address visibility challenges in complex industrial supply chains.