Norwegian sensor developer Sonair has received safety certification for its ADAR One three-dimensional ultrasonic sensor, clearing the product for use in industrial applications requiring Safety Integrity Level 2 and Performance Level d protection. The sensor uses acoustic detection and ranging technology to detect people and objects across a 180-degree horizontal and vertical field of view. It is designed for autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, collaborative robots and other industrial automation systems.
Sonair positions the sensor as an alternative or supplement to two-dimensional laser scanners, which monitor a single horizontal plane and may not detect objects above or below that plane. ADAR One can be integrated into a robot’s body and is intended to operate independently of cameras, artificial intelligence software and motion-control systems.
The product was assessed as a human-protection sensor under IEC 61496, a standard covering electro-sensitive protective equipment. Sonair said it also meets IEC 61508 requirements for functional safety systems and ISO 13849 requirements for safety-related parts of control systems. ADAR One received a SIL 2 rating under IEC 61508 and a PL d rating under ISO 13849. The company reported a probability of dangerous failure per hour of less than 1.5 × 10⁻⁷. Certification body exida issued an EC type-examination certificate under the European Union’s Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. The assessment also covered conformity with the directive’s essential health and safety requirements.
Sonair said ADAR One is in series production and is being shipped for use in deployed industrial robots. More than 80 robotics companies have evaluated the technology through the company’s testing programme since the introduction of a beta version. Automation equipment supplier beRobox has agreed to use the certified sensor in future palletising and depalletising systems. The companies did not disclose the financial terms or expected deployment volumes. “At beRobox, innovation is not just about developing new products. It’s about continuously integrating the best technologies available to simplify automation for our customers,” beRobox Chief Executive David Demers said. Sonair Chief Executive Knut Sandven said the certification was intended to address the need for independently verified detection around robots operating near people. “The bottleneck to safe human-robot coexistence isn’t intelligence or speed,” Sandven said. “It’s safe perception; knowing reliably under any condition that a human is nearby.”
