Hidden Eye Filters Drive Robot Success At World Robot Conference Despite Lighting Challenges

(MENAFN- GetNews) Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China - October 20, 2026

They Stole the Show at the World Robot Conference-But No One Noticed the Filter Inside Its "Eye"

At the World Robot Conference, differences in how vision systems perform under complex lighting sparked considerable discussion. The robot that precisely grabs parts under spotlights versus the one that repeatedly fails to recognize objects under natural light-the gap often isn't in the algorithm, but in whether the vision system can keep up when lighting conditions change.

This problem becomes increasingly prominent as robots move from laboratories into real environments. Factories have intense arc welding and metal reflections; outdoors, there are drastic lighting changes from direct sunlight and cloud cover. Visible-light cameras tend to overexpose or underexpose in these scenarios, while infrared vision offers a perception method immune to visible-light interference.

1. Active Illumination Plus Narrowband Filtering: The Prerequisite for a Clean Signal

The core of infrared vision is enabling the receiver to accept only infrared radiation in a specific band. Take the 940 nm near-infrared solution as an example: the solar spectrum near 940 nm falls in a water vapor absorption band, where solar radiation energy in that band is relatively weak.

The robot actively projects 940 nm infrared laser light, and with a narrowband filter at the receiver that allows only light near 940 nm to pass, background interference is substantially suppressed. What the system receives is a clean signal from the active light source.

The 850 nm solution is also a mainstream choice in industrial robots. Its advantage lies in engineering implementation: infrared light sources and receivers have mature processes, a stable supply chain, and high system sensitivity. In indoor or lighting-controlled factory environments, the 850 nm solution offers excellent cost-performance.

Comparison Item	850 nm Solution	940 nm Solution
Solar radiation background	Stronger; requires stronger out-of-band rejection	Near water vapor absorption band; relatively weaker
Devices and supply chain	Mature processes, stable supply chain	Fewer available devices, slightly higher cost
System sensitivity	High	Relatively lower
Typical application environment	Indoor, lighting-controlled factories	Strong ambient light, outdoor sunlight conditions

2. The Three Parameters That Actually Matter in Selection

The center wavelength and bandwidth of a bandpass filter are key parameters. Too wide a bandwidth lets in stray light; too narrow may lose effective signal due to light source wavelength drift.

In industrial robot vision, the FWHM of 850 nm narrowband filters is typically 10–20 nm. In some scenarios, it can be relaxed to 20–30 nm to balance field uniformity. Blocking depth is equally important: out-of-band blocking typically needs to reach OD4 or higher-meaning out-of-band transmittance below 0.01%-to ensure signal contrast under strong ambient light.

Parameter	Typical Requirement	Consequence of Improper Setting
Center wavelength tolerance	Controllable within ±2 nm	Wavelength deviation; reduced reception efficiency and consistency
FWHM	850 nm solution: 10–20 nm	Too wide lets in stray light; too narrow loses signal due to light source drift
Out-of-band blocking depth	OD4 or higher, transmittance below 0.01%	Insufficient signal contrast under strong ambient light
Field uniformity	Edge illuminance attenuation controllable	Reduced edge brightness in large fields of view after bandwidth relaxation
Batch consistency	Same specifications maintained in volume supply	Inconsistent image brightness and color across multiple units

The filter is not the most conspicuous component in a robot vision system, but it determines the purity of the signal source. The performance of all downstream algorithms is built on signal quality.

MULTI IR's near-infrared narrowband filters cover multiple specifications from 850 nm to 1653 nm, with center wavelength tolerance controllable within ±2 nm, depending on the specific product model. For batch consistency in robot vision systems, this parameter is more critical than peak transmittance.

Robots are moving from structured factories into more complex environments. The reliability requirements for vision systems will only increase, and the role of infrared sensing within them will become increasingly important.

About Us

Founded in 2007, Hangzhou MULTI IR Technology Co., Ltd. is an optoelectronic technology enterprise integrating R&D, production, and sales. Its products are widely applied in aerospace, medical care, AR/VR, display imaging, photography, and other fields, steadily holding the position of the world's largest spot supplier of optical components.

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