Sensors (Perception / Observability)

Purpose

Make physical state observable and therefore controllable.

This is foundational to MatterFlow’s principle:

Observability before optimization.
If you can’t measure it reliably, you can’t schedule it, warranty it, or reuse it.

Typical capabilities

• vision (RGB/IR), depth/LiDAR, structured light
• weight/force/torque, vibration/acoustic
• material ID (spectral signatures), moisture, contamination
• environmental sensing (temperature, pressure, air quality)
• condition monitoring (wear, cracks, corrosion, remaining useful life)

What it enables in MatterFlow

• condition scores for used goods (enables rental/resale with low dispute rate)
• purity scoring for recycling streams (enables premium pricing)
• acceptance tests for home build outcomes (enables warranty/SLA)
• process window monitoring for factories (enables yield improvements)

Near-term build list

• standard “inspection stations” (check-in/out, QC gates)
• calibrated metrics + acceptance thresholds
• data lineage (what sensor, what calibration, when, who)