Sensing specialist Ouster has announced that Gecko Robotics is testing its new Rev8 digital lidar sensors to add richer data layers to Gecko's Cantilever operating platform, which builds high-fidelity digital twins of critical infrastructure. The collaboration aims to push the boundaries of AI-powered inspection by giving Gecko's software more detailed perception of the assets it examines.
Color-rich 3D data for sharper inspections
Gecko Robotics already uses Ouster digital lidar to navigate complex industrial environments and capture detailed scans of structures such as power plants, tanks and pipelines. The new Rev8 sensor suite outputs inherently colorized, structured 3D data alongside ambient infrared and intensity information, which Gecko says lets its AI software detect structural anomalies that were previously difficult to visualize.
"To protect the world's most critical infrastructure, Gecko is always experimenting with best-in-class sensors that enable richer data collection," said Chase David, forward-deployed engineer at Gecko Robotics. "Ouster's Rev8 lidar represents a massive leap in sensing capability."
From mapping to understanding
David added that capturing every 3D point in full color allows the company's software to do more than map the physical world. "It can understand asset health with better certainty and deliver more actionable data to our customers," he said, framing the work as part of Gecko's "detect and repair" missions.
The use of advanced perception hardware mirrors a broader trend in robotics, where vision and sensing systems increasingly determine what autonomous machines can accomplish. Ouster has steadily expanded its robotics lineup, including its ZED X Nano wrist-mounted camera for precise robotic tasks, and the Gecko deployment extends that perception push into heavy industry.
Why perception matters
Cyrille Jacquemet, chief revenue officer at Ouster, said Gecko Robotics is "at the forefront of protecting critical infrastructure" and that the Rev8 sensors "provide the unprecedented 3D color required to turn complex industrial data into predictive asset health insights." Better perception is becoming a foundation for autonomous systems generally, much as tactile sensing is reshaping what robotic hands can do.
The partnership underscores how colorized lidar and AI-driven analysis are converging to support automated inspection, predictive maintenance and digital twins, capabilities that sit at the heart of the wider movement toward physical AI deployed in real-world environments. For operators of aging infrastructure, the promise is faster, safer inspections that catch problems before they become failures.
Reporting based on coverage from Robotics & Automation News and Ouster.