mmWave Radar (Millimeter-Wave Radar)
What problem it solves
Lidar and cameras degrade or go blind in darkness, heavy rain, snow or dusty workshops, while the roughly 4 mm wavelength of mmWave is larger than raindrops and dust particles, so it is barely scattered. It reliably measures the distance and radial speed of people, vehicles and shelves in these harsh environments, making it a key blind-spot sensor for outdoor inspection, parking-garage vents and dusty plants.
It also directly outputs target velocity via the Doppler effect, instead of estimating motion frame by frame like vision, so it reacts faster to people running toward the robot or forklifts crossing its path. It works well as a second safety layer alongside lidar and ultrasonic sensors.
How to read the key specs
- Band and bandwidth: 77 GHz (76-81 GHz) offers about 4 GHz bandwidth and centimeter-class range resolution; 24 GHz is narrower and less precise, so prefer 77 GHz for new designs.
- Range and velocity: check max range, range resolution and whether Doppler velocity is output directly; direct velocity sensing is its core edge over ultrasonic and infrared.
- Angular resolution and channels: more MIMO channels improve angular separation, but it still cannot match lidar, so do not expect it to build maps.
Common misconceptions
Recommended models
All Tbot chassis support multi-sensor fusion for obstacle avoidance; outdoor or dusty sites can add mmWave blind-spot radar: the Tbot-N5-3D heavy-duty chassis (see tbot.html#3dslam) and the wheeled humanoid chassis (humanoid.html). Full sensor and payload specs are in the spec sheet (specs.html).
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