Blue Vigil Autonomous Aerial Light Wins Innovation Award

Blue Vigil’s Autonomous Aerial Light (ALED) has been awarded the Innovation Award at the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)’s 53rd Annual Convention and Traffic Expo.

The ALED is a purpose-built portable lighting system that uses a tethered UAV to position a high-intensity LED array up to 100 feet above a work site. According to Blue Vigil, the higher light positioning eliminates the dangerous glare and shadows cast by traditional light towers making work zones safer for both workers and motorists.

Person-portable at only 75 pounds, the ALED produces an 8,000 square-foot OSHA compliant 5 foot candle light field, providing nearly twice as much coverage as the towed light towers commonly used for nighttime work zones. 

“The ALED reimagines how the classical light tower works. Traditional towed light towers lack portability, and are limited in their height, which results in dangerous glare and shadows. By employing the use of LED panels and tethered UAVs, our highly portable solution provides more usable light than existing products on the market,” said Rob Schumann, CEO. “We are thrilled that the ALED has been recognized for its potential to improve roadway safety.”

ATSSA’s Innovation Awards are given each year as part of the Association’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, which ran from Feb 17-21 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Products considered for the Innovation Award were evaluated on the criteria of lifesaving qualities, degree of need, innovation, design, and eligibility under the Highway Safety Improvement Program. The ALED was chosen from among 18 products entered in ATSSA’s New Products Rollout by a panel of judges made up of department of transportation personnel.

The ALED will enter Beta testing in Q2 2023 and will be available for general delivery later in the year. 

Key features of Blue Vigil’s Autonomous Aerial Light (ALED) include: 

• 8,000 sq. ft. usable light field (at least 5 ft. candles)
• Operating height of 40-100 ft.
• Rugged, person-portable, wheeled case
• Set up in minutes 
• Aim and control lights from the ground
• All-weather operation (IP-65)
• Extensive safety features
• Powered by wall/shore power, generator, or vehicle inverter 
• Made in the USA – Patent Pending 

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