Ultrasonic sensor introduces full-volume human detection for collaborative robots, enabling reliable obstacle awareness, reducing blind spots, and supporting safer automation across factories, warehouses, and autonomous mobile systems.
Addressing one of the biggest challenges in collaborative robotics, Sonair has introduced the ADAR One safety-certified 3D ultrasonic sensor, claimed to be the world’s first ultrasonic sensor independently certified for functional safety in human-robot collaboration. Designed for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), industrial robots and automation systems, the sensor delivers full three-dimensional perception, overcoming the limitations of conventional 2D laser safety scanners.
The key features are:
- Functional safety certified for SIL 2 and PL d applications
- Acoustic Detection and Ranging (ADAR) sensing technology
- Flush-mount compact form factor for easy robot integration
- Independent safety layer complementing AI vision systems
- Certified for compliance with European Machinery Directive requirements
Unlike traditional safety scanners that monitor only a single horizontal plane, ADAR One provides a 180° × 180° field of view, enabling robots to detect people and obstacles at varying heights. This allows safer operation in dynamic environments where workers, pallets, forklifts and machinery continuously move within the robot’s workspace. The sensor creates a volumetric safety zone rather than a flat detection plane, helping eliminate blind spots that can compromise safe robot operation.
The sensor is based on Sonair’s proprietary Acoustic Detection and Ranging (ADAR) technology, which uses ultrasound instead of light to build a three-dimensional map of the surrounding environment. Since the technology relies on sound waves, it remains effective in conditions that can challenge optical sensing systems, including poor lighting, dust or reflective surfaces. The compact module is designed to integrate flush with different robot form factors, including mobile robots, industrial platforms and emerging humanoid robots.
ADAR One has achieved SIL 2 (Safety Integrity Level 2) and PL d (Performance Level d) ratings following independent assessment by exida, meeting functional safety requirements for the reliable detection of humans and objects in industrial environments. The certification also confirms compliance with applicable European machinery safety requirements, enabling the sensor to serve as a safety component in collaborative robotic systems.
The sensor is intended for applications including warehouse automation, logistics robots, machine safety, palletising cells, packaging lines, CNC machine tending and other industrial environments where humans and autonomous systems share workspaces. Sonair says the product is already in series production, with more than 80 robotics companies having evaluated the technology and industrial deployments now beginning through commercial partnerships.
