The rapid advancement of robotics is transforming industries ranging from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and service applications. Modern robotic systems are becoming more compact, mobile, and performance-driven, placing increasingly demanding requirements on their power electronics.
Robots rely on efficient and reliable power conversion to drive actuators, control systems, and onboard electronics. At the same time, there is strong pressure to reduce system size and weight while improving energy efficiency and overall performance -particularly in mobile robots, collaborative robots (cobots), and battery-powered platforms. These constraints make power density and efficiency key design priorities.
Traditional silicon (Si)-based power devices are reaching their performance limits in terms of switching speed, efficiency, and integration. Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices offer a compelling alternative, enabling higher switching frequencies, lower losses, and significantly improved power density. The adoption of GaN technology in robotics provides several key advantages. Higher efficiency reduces energy losses and thermal management constraints, improving system reliability and enabling more compact designs. Higher switching frequency allows the use of smaller passive components, contributing to reduced system size and weight. In battery-powered robots, GaN-based power systems can extend operating time and improve overall energy utilization. GaN is particularly well-suited for key robotic subsystems such as motor drives, DC-DC converters, and onboard power supplies, where efficiency, compactness, and fast dynamic response are critical.
NovaWave’s Smart-GaN™ technology further strengthens these advantages by combining advanced GaN devices with optimized driver and system-in-package (SiP) design, enabling next-generation robotic systems with higher efficiency, reduced size, and improved performance.
