On August 20, during the World Robot Conference 2026, Orbbec and SmartSens, an advanced CMOS image sensor (CIS) supplier, announced a strategic partnership. The collaboration aims to combine Orbbec’s proprietary depth engine chips and full-stack 3D vision technologies with SmartSens’ machine vision CIS technologies to advance products and solutions for physical AI, with a focus on visual perception, obstacle detection and avoidance, and data collection applications.
The agreement was signed by Eric Hu, Procurement Director at Orbbec, and Stone Shi, GM of C BG at SmartSens, and witnessed by Dr. Howard Huang, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Orbbec, and Dr. Richard Xu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of SmartSens.
(L to R, seated) Eric Hu, Procurement Director, Orbbec · Stone Shi, GM of C BG, SmartSens
(Standing) Howard Huang, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Orbbec · Richard Xu, Founder, Chairman & CEO, SmartSens
SmartSens has strong expertise in global-shutter technology and machine vision, launching its BSI-based SmartGS platform in 2017 and remaining at the forefront of the field through continuous innovation. Through their long-standing collaboration in robotics vision, SmartSens and Orbbec have jointly developed multiple high-performance global-shutter CIS products based on the second-generation SmartGS-2 Plus platform, delivering high sensitivity, high dynamic range, and high frame rates for reliable imaging in dynamic and challenging lighting conditions across robotics, robotic lawnmowers, 3D scanning, and industrial inspection applications.
Under this strategic partnership, the two companies will further deepen their collaboration in 3D vision while expanding into physical AI applications. By combining Orbbec’s capabilities across 3D vision chips, hardware, algorithms, system solutions, and large-scale commercialization with SmartSens’ CIS technologies and mass-production capabilities, the companies will jointly develop high-quality 3D vision system solutions and multimodal data collection hardware products.
To meet the growing demand for standardized, high-quality real-world data in physical AI, SmartSens’ SmartGS global-shutter CIS products will be integrated into Orbbec’s Robot-Free Data Collection Hardware Platform, covering products including EGO, the egocentric vision data collection module; UMI, the handheld manipulation data collection module; and WristCam, the wrist-level near-field interaction capture module. Together, these integrations will provide more reliable visual data to support the development of physical AI.
Meanwhile, Orbbec will provide forward-looking guidance for the evolution of SmartSens’ CIS technologies, including platform interface definition and performance optimization. Looking ahead, the two companies will further strengthen collaboration across the industry value chain and continue bringing more competitive solutions to the market.
Richard Xu said: “Robotics vision is a gateway through which physical AI perceives the real world, and a core focus of ‘Vision AI’ within SmartSens’ ‘3+AI’ strategy. Orbbec is a leading provider of robotics and AI vision, with strong independent R&D capabilities and proven experience in large-scale commercialization. As physical AI continues to advance, we will leverage our respective technological strengths to develop high-quality robotics vision solutions and deliver strong technical support for the large-scale deployment of physical AI.”
Howard Huang said: “High-quality real-world data is fundamental to the evolution of physical AI. SmartSens brings deep technological expertise and strong innovation capabilities in global-shutter CIS. By integrating SmartSens’ core technologies with Orbbec’s Robot-Free Data Collection Hardware Platform, we aim to jointly build more reliable, high-performance hardware infrastructure for data collection, providing a solid data foundation for the continued development of physical AI.”
