Sonair ADAR One 3D ultrasonic sensor achieves safety certification

Sonair today announced that its ADAR One sensor is now certified for SIL2 and PL d applications, meeting the European Machinery Directive as an acoustic detection and ranging sensor for safe human and object detection. The small footprint of the ADAR technology allows it to be embedded flush into virtually any robot form factor, according to the company.

ADAR One was assessed as a human protection sensor under the IEC 61496 standard for electrosensitive protection devices. It also meets IEC 61508, the functional safety standard for electronic safety systems in high-risk industrial environments, and ISO 13849, the universal standard for safety-related parts of control systems. The certification was conducted by exida in Germany.

Knut Sandven, CEO of Sonair, described the certification process as extensive and all-encompassing, noting that the company paused all other development for a long stretch and worked nights, weekends, and holidays to complete it. He highlighted that while recent AI advances have created smarter robots, the accompanying safety infrastructure has struggled to keep pace. Traditional 2D laser scanners, widely used for safety perimeters on mobile robots, cannot detect people or obstacles above or below a single plane. Sandven explained that a 2D safety scanner sees the world as a single horizontal slice, typically at leg height, and misses anything that does not cross that plane, such as a person leaning toward the robot, an overhanging shelf, or a suspended object.

The certification positions ADAR One as a 3D alternative to 2D safety scanners, addressing these limitations.

Source: The Robot Report