Robust.AI has selected Aptiv's PULSE sensor-based perception system for its Gen 3 Carter collaborative mobile robot, with the two companies also working toward Performance Level d (PL(d)) functional safety certification for industrial robotics applications.

The PULSE sensor fuses radar and vision using AI and machine learning on raw sensor detections. Early fusion of sensor inputs supports depth map creation and occupancy grid population for navigation and functional safety. A surround-view camera combined with ultra-short-range radar provides 360-degree sensing while reducing blind spots, cost, and system complexity. The system is paired with Robust.AI's vSLAM and AI perception technologies.

"Scale adoption of robotics requires safety critical perception that spans the dynamic conditions experienced in the real world," said Jay Bellissimo, Senior Vice President and President, Intelligent Systems, Software and Services, Aptiv. "By bringing PULSE to the Gen 3 Carter robot, we're helping enable a more comprehensive and scalable approach to warehouse automation, while supporting a path toward the functional safety requirements increasingly demanded by these applications and the broader market of Physical AI."

The selection targets the reliability challenges common in warehouse, manufacturing floor, and cold storage environments—settings where obstructions, dust, glare, moisture, and reflective surfaces can degrade conventional perception systems.

"Carter is built to work with people in real warehouse and manufacturing environments, so perception quality, system reliability, and ease of deployment matter enormously," said Anthony Jules, Co-founder and CEO at Robust.AI. "Aptiv's PULSE sensor brings a differentiated camera-and-radar approach that further enables Carter to drive market-leading performance and productivity in complex environments."

PL(d), defined under ISO 13849-1, is a high-reliability safety classification used for hazardous robotics applications. Aptiv is advancing toward that certification for PULSE across relevant industrial safety use cases as robots take on higher degrees of automation near people and equipment.

Carter is a collaborative mobile robot designed to augment warehouse operations without requiring infrastructure changes. Its software-defined functionality supports order fulfillment picking, point-to-point transport, and mobile sorting, with a performance-based robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model.

Aptiv and Robust.AI will demonstrate Carter at Automate 2026, booth #3291. A related session—Camera + Radar Sensor Fusion: A Practical Path to Robust, Scalable 3D Perception—is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 10:30–11:00 a.m. CDT at the Automate Innovation Stage, booth #19046.