Sonair built its 3D ultrasonic sensor with robotic safety in mind | TechCrunch

"Perception for a human - what we're using the most is our eyes, but we're also using other senses to perceive our environment, our ears and our brain to interpret all our senses,"

"The same is for robots or autonomous machines. They're using cameras. Cameras are really great to understand the environment, but they're not good for reliably detecting objects under all circumstances."

"LIDAR is like swiping a laser pointer. [But] if you shout out in a room, you will fill the room with sound. We will fill the room with sound."

Sonair built an ADAR (acoustic detection and ranging) sensor that uses high-frequency ultrasound to map three-dimensional surroundings. The sensors emit ultrasound waves and capture returning echoes to generate spatial data. This acoustic data complements cameras and other sensors to give robot operating systems clearer environmental models. The acoustic approach enhances depth perception and reliably detects objects under conditions where cameras struggle. The ADAR output uses a standard industry format to integrate with various robotic hardware and software. The acoustic sensing approach can cover spaces more uniformly than point-scanning LIDAR and offers a lower-cost alternative.

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