Robot sensing is not omnidirectional, so blind spots must be known
Aliases: sensing blind spot · sensor field of view · detection coverage
What it is
A robot sensing blind spot is a region or condition in which targets are not reliably detected because of field of view, minimum range, self-occlusion, resolution, or environment. It is not a permanent wedge: head pose, payload, lighting, reflectance, and target posture change it.
Why it happens
Sensors transduce limited physical signals. No data exists outside the field, near-field geometry can fail, and body or cargo occludes. Detection can still fail where measurements exist. Eye-like hardware encourages people to generalise visible orientation into human-like vision.
Studying it
Targets can vary in position, range, height, posture, material, and condition to map detection probability rather than binary coverage, including latency, identity confusion, and dropout. Child, wheelchair, crouched, and partly occluded bodies matter. Maps need hardware and software versioning.
Where it stops holding
Laboratory geometry omits dust, glare, glass, reflective clothing, and dynamic payload. Security or privacy may limit technical disclosure, but not safety information needed on site. Warning people about blind spots does not transfer avoidance responsibility to them.
Applying it
- Build pose- and payload-dependent probability maps from measurements, including near-field and self-occlusion.
- Show understandable sensing direction and blind regions on the body or environment and update them after configuration changes.
- Walk-test diverse postures and materials, logging misses and duration; use speed limits, protective sensing, and separation as backstops.
Related
- Same group: X3.06.2 A robot should behave cautiously when a person is in a blind spot · X3.06.3 Physical indication of sensor orientation supports on-site judgement better than documentation · X3.06.4 Sensor fusion can mask component failure without eliminating system blind spots
- Adjacent: X2.03 Orientation and gaze · X5.05 Responding when a person enters the workspace
- Search terms:
sensing blind spot·sensor field of view·detection coverage