Dallas-based Texas Instruments has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to accelerate the path from simulation to the safe deployment of humanoid robots “in the real world.”

TI (Nasdaq: TXN) said that by combining its real-time motor control, sensing, radar and power technologies with NVIDIA’s advanced robotics compute, ethernet based sensing, and simulation technologies, “robotics developers can validate perception, actuation, and safety earlier and more accurately.”

The new partnership will help developers move faster from virtual development to production-ready, scalable, and safety-compliant systems, TI added.

New sensor fusion solution

As part of the collaboration, TI said it has designed a new sensor fusion solution by integrating its mmWave radar technology with NVIDIA Jetson Thor. The solution uses NVIDIA Holoscan Sensor Bridge to enable low-latency, 3D perception, and safety awareness for humanoid robots.

TI said it will showcase the solution later this month at NVIDIA GTC, March 16–19, in San Jose, California.

Speeding the path to robots ‘operating safely alongside humans’

Giovanni Campanella, general manager of industrial automation and robotics at TI, said the next generation of physical AI “requires more than just advanced compute—it demands seamless integration between sensing, control, power and safety systems.”

“TI’s comprehensive portfolio bridges the gap between NVIDIA’s powerful AI compute and real-world applications, enabling developers to validate complete humanoid systems earlier in development,” Campanella added in a statement. “This integrated approach will help accelerate the evolution from prototypes to commercially viable humanoid robots operating safely alongside humans.”

Deepu Talla, VP of robotics and edge AI at NVIDIA, said the safe operation of humanoid robots in unpredictable environments “requires a massive leap in processing power to synchronize complex AI models with real-time sensor data and motor controls.”

Integrating TI’s sensing and power management technologies with the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform “provides developers with a functional safety-capable foundation to accelerate the deployment of next-generation physical AI,” Talla added.

How the solution advances humanoid robotics

By fusing camera and radar data, the new solution improves object detection, localization, and tracking while reducing false positives for confident, real-time decision-making in humanoid robots, TI said.

The solution enables “human-like perception that works reliably in challenging conditions—from low light and bright glare to fog and dust indoors and outdoors—and addresses a critical safety gap that has limited real-world deployment of humanoid robots.” the company added.

Citing one example, TI said that while cameras may not reliably detect glass doors or reflective surfaces, radar provides consistent detection of these transparent obstacles—enabling smooth navigation in places like office buildings, hospitals, and retail environments.

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