Conventional robotic perception often struggles with the latency of vision-based AI and the reactive limitations of torque sensors, which only detect contact after it happens. The NOVA20 addresses these gaps by offering proactive, pre-contact distance measurement. Weighing under 5g and consuming less than 1W, the device allows for distributed mounting on wrists, ankles, and torsos, ensuring coverage even when a robot’s limbs obstruct its primary head-mounted sensors.

To ensure reliability in complex environments, the sensor employs time-division multiplexing to eliminate crosstalk, a common issue where reflective surfaces cause false obstacle readings in array-based systems. By outputting direct physical distance data rather than processing intensive 2D images, the NOVA20 reduces the computational load on the host platform while maintaining privacy. These capabilities enable specific safety functions, such as ground edge detection to prevent falls and autonomous deceleration when encountering humans or obstacles in close proximity.