German company Infineon Technologies AG and HTEC have unveiled a new 360° Awareness Humanoid Robotic Head at the OktoberTech Silicon Valley 2025.
The robotic head showcases how robots can sense and respond to their surroundings with human-like awareness, according to the firm.
The robotic head is a prototype platform that showcases how modern sensing and perception technologies can come together to give robots a multi-modal awareness of their environment. Rather than relying on a single sensor modality (e.g., camera vision), this head integrates diverse sensory inputs to approximate human-like perception — spatial awareness, depth sensing, audio localization, and visual analysis — all in real time.
The robotic head demonstration was created to show how advanced sensing and AI integration can improve real-time robotic perception. The system uses radar, depth sensing, audio recognition, and embedded software to understand its environment.
At its core, the design leverages Infineon’s own sensor technologies:
- XENSIV™ 60 GHz radar — for precise spatial awareness and motion detection.
- REAL3™ Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors — for accurate depth perception, enabling the head to understand 3D structure and distance to objects.
- XENSIV™ high-performance digital MEMS microphones — for intelligent audio recognition and sound-source localisation.
- Combined with embedded processing (MCUs / PSOC™ platforms) and built-in cameras, the head can not only detect presence or motion, but also turn toward sound sources, visual events, and analyze visual details when needed — achieving a continuous, seamless, multi-sensory situational awareness.
At the heart of the robotic head is Infineon’s flagship sensing portfolio, featuring XENSIV™ 60 GHz radar for precise spatial awareness, REAL3™ Time-of-Flight sensors for depth perception, and XENSIV™ high-performance digital MEMS microphones for intelligent audio recognition. Working together, these components allow the robot to detect presence, localize sound, turn toward its source, and use built-in cameras to analyze visual details. They enable it to create a seamless, multi-modal understanding of its environment.
Multi-modal perception like a human’s
The head doesn’t just “see” — it perceives. By fusing radar, depth sensing, audio detection, and vision, it builds a richer understanding of surroundings: where objects are, how far, where sounds come from, and where attention may be needed. That’s a big leap from robots that rely on a single camera or lidar alone.
Real-time responsiveness and context awareness
Because the sensors and processing are deeply integrated, the system can react in real time: localize sound, identify motion or presence, orient itself automatically, and switch sensors (e.g. cameras) to focus on relevant stimuli. That human-like awareness is essential for robots that need to operate safely and intuitively around people or in dynamic environments.
A flexible “reference design” for future robots
The head is built using standard embedded hardware and software platforms, which means companies — robotics builders, automation firms, developers of service robots — can use it as a blueprint or module. It’s a foundational building block for context-aware robotics rather than a one-off toy.
Bridging semiconductor and robotics worlds
For Infineon, a company better known for chips and sensors, this project demonstrates how its components can anchor complex robotics systems. For HTEC, the integration shows how embedded software + AI + sensors can deliver real-world robotics capabilities. The joint demo underscores a growing trend: robotics is increasingly about combining hardware, sensing, and AI — not just motion or mechanics.
The 360° Awareness Humanoid Robotic Head from Infineon and HTEC offers a promising look at what next-generation robots might be capable of. By combining advanced sensors, embedded AI, and real-time perception, they’re moving robotics closer to human-like awareness — not just mechanical motion.
If widely adopted and integrated into full robotic platforms, this technology could accelerate the arrival of robots that safely and intuitively interact with people and environments: from assistive care and home help to logistics, security, and beyond.