Humanoid Robots Are Reshaping Industry

Lattice FPGAs Help Enable Intelligence, Safety, and Control Across Humanoid Nodes

Built for the Humanoid Era

Humanoid robots are moving rapidly from the research lab to the factory floor and beyond, with the market projected to grow 30 to 40 percent annually through 2030. Yet they are hard to build. Unlike fixed industrial machinery, humanoids place extraordinary demands on the silicon inside them, requiring distributed intelligence, ultra-low power, functional safety, deterministic real-time control, and secure edge intelligence across dozens of mechanically dynamic nodes. Lattice low power FPGAs are purpose-built to meet these demands, scaling intelligence across the modern humanoid platform.

 

Key Features

Power Budget Per Joint
Power Budget Per Joint
Lattice FPGA fabric runs on less than 1 W, ideal for battery-powered, distributed control nodes.
Functional Safety Certification
Functional Safety Certification
The Lattice MachXO5-NX and Lattice CertusPro-NX FPGAs support FuSa to IEC 62061 (SIL 2/3) and ISO 13849 (PLd/PLe).
Heterogeneous Sensor Fusion
Heterogeneous Sensor Fusion
Lattice FPGA fabric connects cameras, Lidar, IMUs, and force/torque sensors in real time, with sub-microsecond latency.
Hard Real‑time Control Loops
Hard Real‑time Control Loops
Lattice FPGA-based control delivers deterministic loop timing below 500 ns.

Hardware Security
Hardware Security
The Lattice Sentry solution stack delivers Zero Trust supply chain protection, including secure boot, Root of Trust, and IP protection.
On‑robot AI Inference
On‑robot AI Inference
Run neural-network inference locally at milliwatt power levels, eliminating cloud latency and connectivity risks.
Real‑time Communication
Real‑time Communication
Achieve deterministic synchronization across distributed architectures with FPGA-based real-time fieldbus.
Companion Compute Role
Companion Compute Role
Lattice FPGAs free up host processors for AI and motion planning by handling real-time and interface tasks.

 

Where Lattice FPGAs Fit in a Humanoid Platform

Lattice FPGAs form the distributed intelligence layer that connects perception to action, bridging sensor data and host compute to enable seamless, real-time control.

SENSOR & PERCEPTION LAYER

Sensor Type                            Interface
RGB‑D Cameras  MIPI CSI‑2 / USB3 / Ethernet
Lidar / ToF  LVDS / SPI
IMU / F/T Sensor  SPI / I2C
Tactile Arrays  Parallel / SPI

 

LATTICE FPGA INTELLIGENCE LAYER

  Sensor Fusion Hub Edge AI Interference Safety Monitor
Lattice Device Lattice Avant / Lattice CertusPro-NX Lattice sensAI Lattice MachXO5-NX
Key Functions Protocol bridging, clock domain crossing, data aggregation,
Lattice mVision ISP
Gesture recognition, obstacle detection, anomaly classification IEC 62061 SIL2, ISO 13849 PLd, watchdog timer

 

HOST COMPUTE PLATFORM

  Central AI Processor Platform Security
Device GPU / NPU SoM, e.g., NVIDIA Jetson Orin Lattice Sentry
Key Functions Motion planning, high-level AI, locomotion control stack Secure boot, bitstream encrypt, Zero Trust

 

ACTUATOR & MOTION CONTROL LAYER

  Per-joint Node ×N Hand / End Effector Leg and Balance Fieldbus
Device Lattice Nexus / Lattice CertusPro-NX Lattice Nexus Lattice CertusPro-NX Lattice Automate
Key Functions PWM, encoder, current loop,
EtherCAT device
Multi-axis servo, haptic feedback, 
force sensing
Gait control, IMU fusion, 
real-time balance loop
EtherCAT, PROFINET, I/O-Link, 
CAN FD

 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FPGA FOR EACH ROBOT SUBSYSTEM

Robot Subsystem Lattice Avant Lattice
CertusPro-NX
Lattice Nexus / 
Lattice MachXO5-NX
Key Benefits
Head / Perception Hub ✓ Primary High I/O count for multi-camera MIPI aggregation, ISP, and lidar interface
Torso AI & Fusion ✓ Primary ✓ Alt Lattice sensAI inference + sensor fusion at mid-range logic density
Arm Servo Controller ✓ Primary ✓ Alt Sub-500 ns PWM + encoder at <500 mW, multi-axis capable
Leg / Balance Control ✓ Primary Real-time gait loop with IMU fusion, EtherCAT device 
Safety Monitor (All Zones) ✓ Primary IEC 62061 SIL2, ISO 13849 PLd, instant-on watchdog, non-volatile configuration
Fieldbus Interface Node ✓ Primary ✓ Alt Lattice Automate, EtherCAT, PROFINET, I/O-Link — no external ASIC needed
Platform Security Root ✓ Alt ✓ Primary Lattice Sentry, NIST SP 800-193, secure boot, bitstream encryption

Jump to

Block Diagram

Lattice Avant FPGA Fabric for Humanoids

The Lattice Avant FPGA is the central control hub, performing sensor fusion, edge AI, and safety coordination through the Lattice sensAI and Lattice Automate solution stacks. Perception sits at the head, where a Lattice mVision pipeline processes vision and lidar inputs. Each arm is driven by a Lattice CertusPro-NX FPGA for servo and haptic control, while a Lattice MachXO5-NX FPGA provides dedicated safety and power management aligned to the IEC 62061 and ISO 13849 functional safety standards. The legs rely on Lattice Nexus FPGAs for gait and balance, connecting through EtherCAT and I/O-Link field interfaces for deterministic, real-time communication. Together, these nodes form a unified low power FPGA fabric operating at less than 1 W per node.

Products

Lattice Nexus 2

The Lattice Nexus 2 small FPGA platform provides advanced connectivity, optimized power and performance, and leading security.

Lattice Nexus

The Lattice Nexus small FPGA platform enables low power, high reliability, and high performance design.

Lattice Avant

The Lattice Avant mid-range FPGA platform features class leading 25 Gbps SERDES, hardened PCIe®, and external memory PHY interfaces.

Lattice Avant-E

The Lattice Avant-E FPGA features high logic density, abundant DSPs, ample embedded memory, and LPDDR4 support, enabling low-latency, power-efficient AI processing ideal for real-time edge applications like vision, robotics, and industrial automation.

Lattice CertusPro NX

The Lattice CertusPro-NX FPGA is optimized for edge AI applications, featuring up to 100k logic cells, ample on-chip memory, up to 156 DSPs, and low power consumption, while supporting LPDDR4, PCIe Gen3, and 10G SERDES, making it ideal for real-time parallel processing near sensors with minimal latency.

Lattice CrossLink-NX

The Lattice CrossLink-NX FPGA is built for edge AI applications, offering up to 40k logic cells, high memory-to-logic ratio, and low power consumption, with hardened or software MIPI D-PHY support, PCIe or USB 3.2 interfaces options, making it ideal for embedded vision and AI inferencing.

Lattice iCE40 UltraPlus

The Lattice iCE40 UltraPlus is perfect for very low power edge AI applications, featuring up to 5280 LUTs, ultra-low static current (75 µA), and soft neural network IPs, enabling always-on intelligence with efficient pattern matching and AI inferencing.

Solution Stacks

Lattice mVision

The Lattice mVision solution stack includes everything embedded vision system designers need to evaluate, develop, and deploy FPGA-based embedded vision applications, such as machine vision, robotics, ADAS, video surveillance, and drones.

Lattice sensAI

The Lattice sensAI solution stack accelerates the integration of flexible, low power inferencing at the edge. It provides everything needed to evaluate, develop, and deploy FPGA-based machine learning and AI solutions.

Lattice sensAI Studio

The Lattice sensAI Studio is a streamlined, user-friendly development environment for effortlessly deploying machine learning models onto Lattice's low power FPGA platforms. With Lattice sensAI Studio, developers can train, optimize, and deploy AI models using pre-trained assets or their own datasets, specifically targeting Lattice FPGAs.

Lattice sensAI Edge Vision Engine

The Lattice sensAI Edge Vision Engine empowers developers with advanced AI and machine learning capabilities, featuring sophisticated computer vision functionalities and a camera viewer for effective visualization. It accelerates development by enabling quick integration of computer vision and audio AI on Lattice hardware and general-purpose processors.

Lattice Sentry

Lattice Sentry is a software solution for platform firmware resiliency (PFR) Root of Trust, and Zero Trust security, enabling secure boot, authentication, and IP protection.

Services

Lattice Design Group

The Lattice Design Group brings our team’s unmatched experience on Lattice products, software, and solutions to solve your application challenge.

Videos

FPGA for AI Acceleration
Expand Video

FPGA for AI Acceleration

Because of their flexibility and programmability, FPGAs offer unique opportunities for AI acceleration. Thanks to a reconfigurable fabric for data processing, they can be deployed at the edge or in datacenters and servers. In this on-demand webinar, the panel talks about how to design for FPGA with AI acceleration in mind, and what is required for success.

Date: April 2, 2026 (English) Watch Now

Q126-Security-Seminar-Humanoids-Are-They-Safe-and-Secure
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Humanoids: Are They Safe & Secure?

The global humanoid market is projected for explosive growth over the next several years. As these robots increasingly move from research environments to commercial deployments, designers face a variety of challenges. Humanoid safety often takes center stage as a core challenge, but safety without security falls short as humanoids increasingly interact directly with people. Watch this Security Seminar with Lattice, SEALSQ, and Promwad Electronics Design to learn about the evolving landscape of humanoids and security.

Date: March 31, 2026 (English) Watch Now

Single‑Chip EtherCAT® Motor Control on Lattice FPGAs
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Single‑Chip EtherCAT® Motor Control on Lattice FPGAs

This demo showcases an integrated EtherCAT motor control solution implemented on a single Lattice FPGA, designed for real‑time motion control nodes in industrial automation systems. The design combines cyclic EtherCAT process data exchange with a deterministic field‑oriented control (FOC) motor control subsystem, delivering high‑dynamic performance with minimal latency. An embedded RISC‑V processor manages configuration and application control, while single‑chip integration consolidates EtherCAT communication, the FOC control loop, and encoder interfaces to reduce BOM, save board space, and improve system determinism.

Date: March 25, 2026 (English) Watch Now

Multi‑Sensor 10GbE Aggregation for NVIDIA Holoscan Using Lattice FPGAs
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Multi‑sensor 10GbE Aggregation for NVIDIA Holoscan Using Lattice FPGAs

This demo highlights the DA322 Holoscan Adapter from Tauro Technologies, a compact multi‑sensor aggregation platform built on a low power Lattice CertusPro‑NX FPGA. The solution supports four MIPI CSI‑2 camera inputs and aggregates HDMI, MIPI, or GMSL data into a single 10 GbE stream for efficient sensor ingest. Using RDMA, the platform feeds synchronized, high‑bandwidth data directly into NVIDIA Orin or Thor™ systems for real‑time visualization. With Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588‑2019), flexible multi‑function I/O, and an SFP+ 10 Gbps interface, the design enables scalable, space‑efficient sensor integration for advanced edge AI and visualization applications.

Date: March 25, 2026 (English) Watch Now

FPGA‑Accelerated 3D Sensing for Humanoid Robot Manipulation
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FPGA‑accelerated 3D Sensing for Humanoid Robot Manipulation

This demo showcases a miniaturized 3D sensor module built on AIRY3D’s patented TDM technology, mounted on a humanoid robotic arm and interfaced with the Lattice CrossLink-NX 40 FPGA. The FPGA offloads the majority of depth computation, reducing system load and enabling efficient operation alongside an application processor such as the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano. With a wide field of view and no occlusion, the sensor delivers accurate near‑field depth awareness. This capability opens new opportunities for robotic grasping, in‑hand manipulation, and end‑effector‑mounted perception, supporting more responsive and intelligent humanoid robotics systems.

Date: March 25, 2026 (English) Watch Now

Ford Tamer at The Rise of Companion Silicon: Rethinking AI Architecture from Edge to Cloud
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The Rise of Companion Silicon: Rethinking AI Architecture from Edge to Cloud

As AI systems scale from datacenters to the edge, the architectural conversation is shifting. It’s no longer just about CPUs and GPUs. Companion silicon is becoming foundational to how intelligent systems are built, controlled, and secured. Hosts of the Six Five podcast Patrick Moorhead and Daniel Newman are joined for this webinar by Lattice CEO Ford Tamer to explore why FPGA attach rates are rising and how small and mid-range, low-power devices are driving real system-level value across AI infrastructure and how Lattice is ideally positioned as the “everywhere companion chip” provider from the edge to the cloud.

Date: February 23, 2026 (English) Watch Now

Real-Time AI Sensor Fusion with e-con Systems' Holoscan Camera Solutions Using Lattice FPGA for NVIDIA Jetson Thor Platform
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Real-time AI Sensor Fusion with e-con Systems' Holoscan Camera Solutions Using Lattice FPGA for NVIDIA Jetson Thor Platform

Watch this on demand webinar with experts from NVIDIA, e-con Systems, and Lattice demonstrating how Holoscan camera solutions leverage Lattice FPGAs to efficiently bridge and synchronize diverse sensors on the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform.

December 17, 2025 (English) Watch Now

Q325 Industrial HMI Demo Hussein -1280x720 Thumbnail
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Industrial HMI Demo: Intelligent Operator Recognition and Control

Experience a cutting-edge industrial human-machine interface (HMI) that features advanced operator attention sensing and identification. This demo enables seamless interaction with machinery, delivering real-time insights and precise control for enhanced operational efficiency.

Date: September 14, 2025 (English) Watch Now

Edge AI Model Deployment-HMI Case Study - Thumbnail
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Edge AI Model Deployment: HMI Case Study

Explore how to deploy edge AI human-machine interfaces (HMIs) in environments with tight thermal, power, memory, and compute constraints. As sensor networks grow and AI models push further to the edge, extracting real-time intelligence becomes both powerful and complex. In this on-demand webinar, you’ll learn practical strategies and gain expert guidance to overcome these challenges with low power FPGAs.

Date: September 9, 2025 (English) Watch Now

Documentation

Information Resources
TITLE NUMBER VERSION DATE FORMAT SIZE
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Lattice sensAI Stack Product Brochure
I0265 8.0 4/4/2025 PDF 914.3 KB
TITLE NUMBER VERSION DATE FORMAT SIZE
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Enhancing Human-Machine Interfaces with Advanced User Context Awareness
WP0045 1.0 7/9/2025 PDF 4.5 MB
Lattice Crosslink-NX: Embedded Vision Processing at the Edge
1.0 1/18/2020 PDF 523.2 KB
Human-Machine Interface Applications Enabled by Lattice sensAI Edge Vision Engine
WP-SB0004 1.0 5/20/2025 PDF 3.7 MB
Sensor Hub For Near-Sensor Low-Latency Data Fusion In AI Systems
WP0044 2.0 5/22/2025 PDF 5.1 MB
Securing the Future of Humanoid Robotics with TPM-anchored FPGAs with Post-quantum Cryptography
WP0053 2.0 4/23/2026 PDF 3.3 MB
Random Bin Picking Based On Structured-Light 3D Scanning
WP0043 2.0 5/22/2025 PDF 3.7 MB
Lattice Holoscan Sensor Bridge Solution Speeds Deployment of Autonomous Machines with Physical AI
WP-SB0007 1.0 3/4/2026 PDF 2.4 MB

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