Sonair
Sonair – 3D ultrasonic sensing for robot safety
Sonair is a Norwegian sensor company based in Oslo. It develops ADAR (acoustic detection and ranging) – an ultrasonic technology that captures the space around a robot not as a plane but as a complete 3D volume. It builds on 25 years of research at the Norwegian institute SINTEF together with two decades of MEMS development and safety engineering.
The first product, ADAR One, is according to the manufacturer the world’s first safety-certified 3D ultrasonic sensor, rated SIL 2 and PL d. It detects people and obstacles across a 180° × 180° field of view at up to 4 m, works independently of lighting conditions and dust, and also picks up glass, reflective and low-contrast surfaces – precisely where two-dimensional laser scanners reach their limits.
Typical applications are autonomous mobile robots in warehousing, production, logistics, retail and hospitals, as well as stationary machine safety at robot cells, palletisers and packaging lines. More than 50 companies from robotics, automation and automotive have trialled the technology in real-world environments; the first series robots fitted with ADAR reached the market in March 2026.
The technology has received the Best of Sensors Award 2024, the DIRA Teknologiprisen 2025 and the LogiMAT Best Product Award 2026, among others.
