As autonomous robots enter warehouses, hospitals, retailers, and public areas, the necessity for protected human-machine collaboration is rising quick. That’s precisely what Sonair’s ADAR sensor is constructed for. With $6M in new funding the corporate can seize its international goal market segments and set up a brand new class for robotic notion.
Oslo, Norway, September 17, 2025: After a robust market debut earlier this yr, ADAR (acoustic detection and ranging) is now transport to producers in Asia, Europe and North America. The sensor makes use of sound waves in air to present robots a exact, real-time 3D view of their environment, serving to them function safely in shared areas.
Sonair is safety-certifying to PLd ISO13849 / SIL IEC 61508. An industry-first for 3D ultrasonic sensing, with the corporate now shifting quick to satisfy rising, international demand.
To gasoline this acceleration, Sonair has raised $6M from a robust group of current and new worldwide buyers, together with Copenhagen-based VC Scale Capital and Norway’s state-backed Investinor. The spherical noticed continued assist from RunwayFBU (a part of the Aker group), SINTEF, ProVenture, with RunwayFBU considerably growing its dedication. With this strengthened shareholder base, Sonair now has the capital backing to drive its international rollout and long-term development.
“For robots to function alongside people, security needs to be inbuilt from the beginning,” mentioned Knut Sandven, CEO and co-founder of Sonair. “ADAR offers producers a simple and extra inexpensive solution to obtain that.”
A fraction of the price of LiDAR
Sonair’s patented ultrasound know-how offers exact 3D notion at a fraction of LiDAR’s value. After testing with over 30 international corporations, it now targets autonomous cell robots in logistics and manufacturing, a market set to hit $15.6B by 2030.
Elevated warehouse automation, labor shortages and new security rules are accelerating demand for applied sciences that allow individuals and robots to work side-by-side. Within the U.S. alone, warehouse staff reported 4.7 accidents per 100 full-time staff in 2023 – practically double the non-public {industry} common.
ADAR’s mixture of protected 3D object detection, full vertical views, and low computational necessities permits safer robotic motion, decreasing threat with out including complexity or value to the machine.
“If a robotic cannot function safely round individuals, it will not be extensively adopted,” Sandven added. “We’re giving producers a software they will belief, one which helps them meet the best security requirements with out slowing down innovation.”
Certainly one of Sonair’s clients, FUJI CORPORATION in Japan, is constructing autonomous robots for retail environments.
“Via complete testing we had been in a position to affirm the excessive suitability of their sensors for autonomous cell robots,” says Koji Kawaguchi, Normal Supervisor of the Innovation Promotion Division, FUJI CORPORATION
One other reference buyer, primarily based in Europe, builds cleansing robots for industrial buildings. In each instances, security is a high requirement as a result of the robots will function round people.
Fast progress creates investor confidence
Traders level to the corporate’s speedy progress from a portfolio of patents to industrial shipments as proof of each technical excellence and execution pace.
For Scale Capital, becoming a member of the spherical was a wager on each the market and the group.
“Sonair makes robotic security easy,” mentioned Terkel Douglas, Funding Supervisor at Scale Capital. “As robots grow to be extra common-place in our day by day lives, security turns into vital. By pushing the technical limits of sensing know-how, Sonair has moved the robotics world a number of steps ahead in a protected and cost-effective approach. That is European deep tech at its finest.”
Investinor, a state-backed VC in Norway, joined the spherical.
“For robots to scale into on a regular basis environments, security can’t be optionally available,” mentioned Egil Garberg, Funding Director, Investinor. “Sonair’s patented ADAR know-how combines technical excellence with clear industrial traction. We imagine the group is uniquely positioned to seize a quickly rising international marketplace for autonomous machines.”
T|Y|R.vc, a Denmark-based fund investing in dual-use applied sciences, additionally joined the spherical.
“The chance in autonomous automobiles and machines is critical,” mentioned Jesper Hart-Hansen, Normal Companion at T|Y|R.vc. “Sonair’s differentiated know-how permits autonomous system producers to construct protected and inexpensive options, with purposes throughout each civilian and protection sectors.”
About Sonair
Sonair develops superior sensing know-how to make autonomous machines safer, smarter, and extra inexpensive. Primarily based in Oslo, Norway, the corporate’s patented ADAR sensor is the world’s first protected 3D ultrasonic sensor for robots, enabling correct spatial consciousness in environments the place individuals and machines work collectively. The corporate is constructed on know-how from SINTEF, a number one analysis institute.
