Start-up attracts $107m to launch all-in-one robotic sensing platform
9 January 2026 
A US start-up has emerged form stealth with $107m of funding and the mission to give robots and autonomous machines the ability to see, understand, and operate safely in the physical world. California-based Lyte was founded in 2021 by a several of the key architects behind Apple’s depth-sensing and perception technologies. Its CEO Alexander Shpunt co-founded PrimeSense, the 3D sensing company that powered Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensing technology that became the basis for the iPhone’s Face ID capability after Apple acquired the technology in 2013.
Lyte aims to address what it regards as a structural problem in robot manufacturing. Developers currently assemble perception systems from multiple vendors, then spend months calibrating sensors, writing software, and debugging problems. Lyte says that its vertically integrated technology will eliminate that effort and allow robot-makers to focus on building robots, not reinventing vision systems.
Lyte’s core product, LyteVision, integrates 4D sensing, RGB imaging, and motion awareness into one platform, delivering unified spatial and visual data via a single connection. It sends out a continuous signal and measures what returns to capture position and velocity simultaneously and instantaneously – not calculating them afterwards. It unifies the path from perception to intelligence, using sensors fused with silicon, designed to talk to software, which in turn communicates with an AI platform.
The technology is said to be suitable for a wide range of applications including AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), robotic arms, quadrupeds, robotaxis and humanoids. Engineered for safety, reliability, and performance, the system is paired with an AI-driven operating layer that can be enhanced by incorporating the latest breakthroughs in vision, language, and action models – allowing physical AI systems to perceive, reason and act with increasing intelligence.
The technology can operate reliably in fog, darkness or bright sunlight, and work alongside other sensors without interference. Lyte believes it could lead to new classes of autonomous machines.
“Lyte is building at the right layer, at the right moment,” says the company’s chairman Avigdor Willenz, who is also its founding investor. “I’ve seen how foundational technologies unlock entire industries. What stands out here is the depth of the team and the discipline to solve perception as a system.”
“Physical AI will change how the world works, but only if robots can see it clearly,” adds Lyte’s co-founder and CEO, Alexander Shpunt. “After helping shape how billions of people interact with technology, we’ve assembled an extraordinary team to build the perception layer that enables robots to operate safely and reliably at scale.”
Lyte: LinkedIn
