Our Sensors
Earliest Arrays
First lab prototypes: microphone boards with separate signal-conditioning and converter boards
Embedded imaging sonar
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Everything in one box: microphone array, broadband emitter and real-time 3D processing.
High-resolution Imaging
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Our upper limit for in-air sonar: 1,024 microphones in a 32 × 32 grid
2017
2020
2025
2013
2019
2024
Present
Digital MEMS arrays
Low-cost digital MEMS microphones replace the analog chain, making larger arrays practical.
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Start of Miniaturization
Each generation is smaller and lower-cost, yet still built for 3D imaging, shrinking from 5.7 to 3 cm. As a result, the sensors now fit small robots, pipes and handheld tools.
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Steerable emission
32 tiny MEMS speakers on a compact board steer a broadband sound beam electronically, with no high-voltage drivers.
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eRTIS: 3D Sonar Built for the Real World
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eRTIS (embedded Real-Time Imaging Sonar) is a complete 3D sonar in a single sealed box. It combines a broadband emitter, a 32-microphone array and an on-board GPU, so it turns echoes into live 2D and 3D images without any external computer. Because its aluminium housing is dust- and water-resistant and cooled passively, the sensor stays reliable in fog, rain, snow and dust. Field tests on a harbour vessel, an outdoor robot and an autonomous forklift confirmed this; on the forklift, eRTIS even detected glass barriers that a LiDAR missed. As a result, it gives industry a dependable alternative wherever optical sensors degrade.
HiRIS: Seeing Sound in Sharper Detail
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HiRIS (High-Resolution Imaging Sonar) listens to its surroundings with 1,024 microphones in a 32 × 32 grid, the largest array of its kind at the time of publication. Because all microphones record the same sound at once, the sensor pinpoints sources with a beam only 4° wide, while the blurring artefacts of conventional sonar almost disappear. As a result, it builds sharp 2D and 3D images that remain dependable in dust, fog or water spray. Beyond robotics, HiRIS acts as a reference sensor: researchers can use it to study how ultrasound behaves in real environments and to design smaller, cheaper sensors for industry.
nRTIS: Low-Cost Real-Time 3D Sonar Imaging Circular Array Supporting Beamforming for Industrial Applications
nRTIS (nano Real-Time Imaging Sonar) is a 3D ultrasonic sensor with a 30 mm aperture, the size of a typical ultrasound probe. It combines 16 MEMS microphones, arranged around a central 40 kHz transducer, with an RP2350 microcontroller that streams echoes in real time over high-speed USB. Because beamforming runs on a host computer, the sensor itself stays compact and low-cost. Simulations show that MVDR beamforming sharpens angular resolution and suppresses sidelobes, and a reflector test at one metre confirmed reliable echo detection. As a result, nRTIS suits weld inspection, pipe mapping and robot navigation in tight industrial spaces.
µRTIS: A Small 3d Imaging Sonar Sensor for Robotic Applications
µRTIS (micro Real-Time Imaging Sonar) is a compact 3D sonar designed for drones and small mobile robots. It shrinks the eRTIS to 5.7 by 4.6 cm by combining 30 MEMS microphones in a regular 5×6 grid with a small 40 kHz emitter, which also lowers cost. Because sound passes through fog and dust, it complements optical sensors where they degrade. With MUSIC beamforming and spatial smoothing, it resolves sources about 16° apart in simulation and, on a robot driving through a narrow corridor, produced cleaner images than Delay-And-Sum. As a result, it brings affordable 3D perception to small platforms.
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ConamArray: A 32-Element Broadband MEMS Ultrasound Transducer Array
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ConamArray is a compact broadband ultrasound emitter that steers sound electronically. It combines 32 MEMS loudspeakers in two staggered rows with a synchronized multi-DAC back-end, so every waveform and steering angle can be changed at runtime over USB. Unlike conventional broadband transducers, it needs no high-voltage drive electronics and steers beams across 20 to 100 kHz from a 102 by 80 mm board stack. A built-in 64-microphone array adds pulse-echo sensing. Anechoic chamber measurements matched simulations, although grating lobes limit steering at large angles and high frequencies. As a result, it suits ultrasonic imaging, localization and bio-inspired robotics.