SkyBoost-RT Wins VSD 2026 Innovators Award for Real-Time Aerial Imaging

Real-Time Aerial Imaging Processing Recognized in the 2026 VSD Innovators Awards

Vision Systems Design recognized Gidel’s SkyBoost-RT as a Silver Honoree in the 2026 Innovators Awards for its real-time aerial imaging processing capabilities. The recognition highlights SkyBoost-RT’s FPGA-based approach to airborne Image Signal Processing (ISP) and compression for aerial imaging, ISR, and inspection workflows.

SkyBoost-RT is designed for applications where high-resolution sensors generate massive RAW data streams that airborne systems must process, record, or stream during the mission. By combining deterministic FPGA processing, low latency, and high-ratio compression, it helps reduce onboard storage, bandwidth, and processing bottlenecks.

Real-Time FPGA ISP for Aerial Imaging and ISR

SkyBoost-RT processes high-resolution RAW Bayer image data while the camera is actively capturing. Instead of waiting for intensive post-processing after the mission, SkyBoost-RT enables the system to generate, compress, record, or stream high-quality imagery in real time.

The FPGA-based pipeline can include demosaicing, HDR correction, chromatic aberration correction, Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC), Bad Pixel Replacement (BPR), Dynamic Luminance Balance, White Balance, and additional mission-specific ISP stages.

Reducing Storage and Downlink Bandwidth Bottlenecks

In airborne imaging systems, storing or transmitting uncompressed RAW data is often impractical. High-resolution sensors can quickly generate terabytes of data, creating major challenges for onboard storage, downlink bandwidth, and real-time usability.

SkyBoost-RT addresses this challenge by compressing image data directly on the FPGA during acquisition. JPEG compression can often exceed a 10:1 compression ratio, significantly reducing data volume while maintaining high image quality. Optional H.264 / H.265 and RTSP output options can also support efficient video streaming and recording workflows.

High-Resolution Airborne Sensor Processing

SkyBoost-RT supports large-format aerial imaging applications, including image widths up to 32K pixels and sensor classes up to approximately 500MP per image, depending on camera model and configuration.

In real-time pipelines, the system can process over 7 images per second, depending on configuration and input format. This enables continuous acquisition, ISP, compression, recording, and streaming without interrupting the image stream.

Aerial Imaging and Inspection Workflows

Beyond defense ISR, SkyBoost-RT can support aerial inspection, mapping, search and rescue, and situational awareness applications where high-resolution image capture must be combined with immediate processing, compression, recording, or streaming.

This helps airborne platforms convert massive RAW sensor data into usable visual information during the mission, not only after landing.

Deployment Across UAVs, Aircraft, and Embedded Payloads

SkyBoost-RT supports deployment across Gidel’s FPGA accelerator platforms, including PCIe frame grabbers installed in PCs or servers, compact FPGA modules for embedded and low-SWaP systems, and FantoVision Mini Edge AI systems that combine NVIDIA Jetson computing with FPGA-based image acquisition and processing.

The solution supports high-end GigE Vision frame grabbers, CoaXPress frame grabbers, and the Camera Link frame grabber, as well as custom sensor interfaces. It also integrates with Gidel’s Grabber SDK suite and supports camera control through GenICam GenTL.

Engineers evaluating the camera side of the system can also review Gidel’s guides to GigE Vision cameras, CoaXPress cameras, and Camera Link cameras to compare bandwidth, connectivity, synchronization, and acquisition requirements.

Custom ISP Pipelines for Mission-Specific Imaging Requirements

For advanced users, the ProcVision Suite enables full ISP pipeline customization at the FPGA level. This lets engineers optimize the processing flow for image quality, compression ratio, throughput, latency, and system resource utilization.

The SkyBoost-RT award reinforces the value of real-time FPGA processing for airborne imaging teams that need to process, compress, record, and stream massive RAW data directly at the point of acquisition.

👉 Explore Gidel SkyBoost-RT

👉 Read the Full Vision Systems Design Announcement

Post-Flight: Accelerating the RAW-to-JPEG Backlog

While SkyBoost-RT handles real-time acquisition in the air, capturing high-resolution aerial data is only the first half of the mission. Once the UAV lands, the bottleneck often shifts to batch post-processing. For organizations dealing with thousands of offline RAW images, Gidel’s standard SkyBoost operates as a dedicated PCIe FPGA accelerator, converting RAW (Bayer) files to JPEG up to 50x faster than software-only workflows.

👉 Learn how SkyBoost accelerates aerial photogrammetry post-processing