3D ultrasonic sensor improves robot safety

Sonair’s 3D ultrasonic sensor uses acoustic detection and ranging (ADAR) to enable 360° obstacle detection up to 5 meters. Each ADAR sensor offers a 180×180° field of view, allowing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to safely navigate around people and objects.

The beamforming technology behind ADAR—used in SONAR, RADAR, and medical imaging—has been under development at Norway’s MiNaLab research center for over 20 years and is now adapted for in-air ultrasonic sensing.

ADAR empowers autonomous robots with omnidirectional depth perception, enabling them to ‘hear’ their surroundings in real-time 3D using airborne soundwaves to interpret spatial information. The sensor forms a 5-meter virtual shield that helps people and robots safely share space. It combines wavelength-matched transducers with efficient signal processing for beamforming and object recognition.

The 3D ultrasonic sensors offer a cost-effective alternative to LiDAR and camera-based systems, typically consuming just 5 W and performing more reliably in challenging conditions such as poor lighting, dust, and temperature fluctuations.

Sonair’s ADAR sensor is developed in accordance with ISO 13849-1:2023 PLd / SIL2, with safety certification expected by year-end. The company will unveil the sensor to North American audiences at Automate 2025, with shipments scheduled to begin in July.

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