Sensing and intelligent perception are crucial for robotic applications. The high performance of robotic systems largely depends on the performance of the sensors that provide them with critical data. Today's abundant and increasingly sophisticated and accurate sensors, combined with systems capable of fusing all this sensor data, can support robots with ever-improving perception and awareness.
( Robot AI Sensor)
Power inspection robot
Currently, popular sensor technologies used to support AI (artificial intelligence) in robots include temperature and humidity sensors, ultrasonic sensors, time-of-flight (ToF) optical sensors, and auditory sensors.
Temperature and humidity sensor
Many robots need to measure temperature, and sometimes also the humidity of their environment and components, including motors and the main AI motherboard, to ensure they operate within safe limits. For example, intelligent inspection robots, equipped with temperature and humidity sensors, can collect and analyze environmental data such as cable temperature, tunnel temperature, and humidity in utility tunnels, making temperature and humidity management in underground utility tunnels more convenient and efficient.
ultrasonic sensor
If a robot cannot see anything in a bright environment or cannot find itself in a dark environment, it means that the visual sensor is not working. By transmitting ultrasound and listening to the echoes reflected back from objects (similar to the principle of bat maneuvering), ultrasonic sensors can operate well in both dark and bright environments, overcoming the limitations of optical sensors.
Meanwhile, ultrasonic sensors are also commonly used for obstacle avoidance and distance measurement in mobile robots. For these applications, ultrasonic sensors are mainly used to detect the distance to an object and its orientation relative to the sensor, enabling obstacle avoidance maneuvers. Generally, for the same ultrasonic sensor, the larger the object being measured, the stronger the reflected ultrasonic echo, and consequently, the greater the detection distance. Conversely, when the object is small, the detection distance of the ultrasonic sensor will be relatively short. (TOF measurement principle)
Time-of-Flight (ToF) optical sensor
Time-of-Flight (ToF) optical sensors, also known as Time-of-Flight sensors, are based on the ToF principle. They use photodiodes (a single sensor element or an array) and active illumination to measure distance. They compare the light waves reflected from an obstacle with the emitted waves to measure the delay, which is the distance. This data helps create 3D maps of objects.
Unlike ultrasonic ranging, which is highly dependent on the reflective object and cannot detect small objects such as lines or cones, TOF infrared ranging completely overcomes this problem. At the same time, TOF ranging has high accuracy, long range, and fast response.
Hearing sensor
An auditory sensor is a sensor that can detect, measure, and display sound waveforms.
For robots, the auditory sensor functions like a microphone, receiving sound waves and displaying vibrational images of sound. In some environments, robots need to determine the pitch and loudness of sound, distinguish between left and right sound sources, and even determine the approximate location of the sound source; under other conditions, robots need to communicate with humans via voice. Therefore, the presence of an auditory sensor enables robots to perform these tasks more effectively.
Vibration sensor
Industrial vibration sensing is an essential part of preventative maintenance and condition monitoring. Integrated electronic piezoelectric sensors are commonly used vibration sensors in industrial environments.
millimeter wave sensor
Millimeter-wave sensors use radio waves and their echoes to determine the direction and distance of moving objects by measuring three factors: speed, angle, and range. This helps robots take more preventative measures based on how quickly an object approaches the sensor. Radar sensors perform well in dark environments and can sense through materials such as dry walls, plastics, and glass.
