#China #Hangzhou #Robotics #RoboSense #Active Camera 2

RoboSense Unveils Active Camera 2

During the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025) in Hangzhou, RoboSense, a trailblazer in AI-driven robotics technology, made a significant announcement. The company introduced its latest product in the Active Camera series, dubbed the "Robot Manipulation Eye" AC2. This event was part of the themed salon titled "Eyes of Robots," where industry experts gathered to explore advancements in robotic perception.

Insights from Industry Leaders

The event featured Perry Wang, President of RoboSense's Innovation Division, who offered valuable insights into current trends in robotics and their implications for technology. He highlighted the AC2's innovative capacity to enhance robotic perception capabilities. Joining him was Dr. Yang Xiansheng, Vice President of the LiDAR Division, who detailed the performance advantages of the AC2, paving the way for discussions among leading scholars about the future of robotic perception.

Wang articulated that the "eye" plays a crucial role in a robot's ability to perceive its environment. Historically, obtaining 3D vision has posed challenges for robotic systems, with traditional solutions like stereo vision and monocular vision facing obstacles in depth perception accuracy. Enter dToF (direct Time-of-Flight), which outshines other methods with its powerful ranging ability and minimal computational needs.

A Technological Breakthrough

The AC2 stands as a hallmark achievement in RoboSense's commitment to advancing dToF technology. This device is unique as it integrates multiple sensory modalities: dToF, RGB stereo imaging, and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), thus allowing versatile data output options—whether fused or individual. What's remarkable is the synchronization technology that achieves a remarkable 1ms alignment accuracy between depth and image data, a significant milestone that enhances the overall perception quality.

Unmatched Precision

In an environment where many robots operate with fundamental capabilities, achieving high-precision perception has become essential. RoboSense's AC2 emerges as a game-changing solution, boasting a refined depth sensing capability. According to internal testing, the AC2 can achieve an impressive millimeter-level precision of ±5mm, making it versatile for various use cases.

The updated stereo vision system improves performance even more, ensuring enhanced accuracy in ultra-close quarters while a high-resolution RGB camera delivers crystal-clear imagery to complement depth data, resulting in sharper and more detailed contextual understandings.

Expanding Utility with Design

The AC2's design reflects its innovative spirit: the sensors are compact with dimensions of 100mm × 30mm × 45mm, suitable for mounting on a myriad of platforms, including humanoid robots and robotic arms. This compactness permits adaptability in constrained spaces while ensuring efficient manipulation capabilities. With an enhanced field of view (FoV) of 120°x90°, robots fitted with the AC2 can now perceive more objects simultaneously, minimizing the need for constant repositioning or tilting.

Robust and Reliable Performance

Reliability under variable environmental conditions is crucial for effective robotic manipulation. Highlighting this need, the AC2 is engineered to endure diverse lighting conditions, maintaining high performance regardless of ambient light fluctuations. Additionally, the AC2 meets comprehensive safety standards, operating effectively across a range of -10° to 55°C, and offers superior connection stability using advanced interface technologies.

Embracing AI and Developer Ecosystem

To further support robotic developers, RoboSense is launching an AI-Ready ecosystem simultaneous with the AC2 release. This comprehensive suite includes open-source algorithms designed for real-world applications, effectively addressing common challenges associated with robotics development. Notably, tools for pose estimation and human recognition are now accessible, streamlining the development process and accelerating operational efficiency.

Expert Consensus on Future Directions

During a thought-provoking roundtable discussion, participating academics underscored the importance of elevating robotic perception as a cornerstone for future technological breakthroughs. Professor Sun Fuchun from Tsinghua University emphasized the potential of the AC2 in enabling robots to navigate and learn from dynamic environments. Others, including prominent scholars like Professor Zhu Yanhe and Professor Li Miao, voiced excitement over the AC2's multi-sensor integration, identifying it as a pivotal step toward the future of robotic applications in both industrial and everyday contexts.

RoboSense's vision extends towards making high-precision robotic perception accessible across global industries ranging from logistics to consumer robotics. The AC2 represents not just a product launch, but a significant stride toward realizing robots that are not only capable of understanding their environments but also manipulating them effectively and efficiently. With ongoing beta testing set for academic and industry collaborators, RoboSense stands poised to lead the revolution in robotics perception technology.

Conclusion

The Active Camera 2's debut marks an important chapter in RoboSense's journey, merging advanced robotics technology with practical deployment strategies. By unifying its perception hardware and development ecosystem, RoboSense is not only tapping into the future of robotic capabilities but is also forging a path for widespread adoption of enhanced robotic systems across various sectors. The implications of this technology extend well beyond industrial applications into an exciting future where robots operate alongside humans, guided by enhanced perception driven by innovations such as the AC2.