Overview
If your robot keeps flagging obstacles that aren't there, especially in dim or dark conditions, or on reflective floor surfaces, this article explains what's happening and how to fix it using Basic Obstacle Detection Mode.
What You Might Be Seeing
The robot flags obstacles that don't exist, even when the floor is clear. These false obstacles may appear as a large blob directly in front of the robot, or as scattered and continuous obstacles across the floor. Either way, they block printing and make obstacle detection feel unreliable. The issue tends to happen when lighting is low (early mornings, enclosed areas, or job sites without full overhead lighting) or when the floor is highly reflective.
Why It Happens
The robot uses two cameras to build a 3D picture of its surroundings. To help in low-light conditions, it projects an invisible grid of infrared dots onto the floor, giving the cameras more texture to work with. In dark environments or on reflective surfaces, those dots dominate what the cameras see. If the cameras have drifted slightly out of alignment, the system can misread the dot pattern or pick up reflections of it and interpret the resulting distortion as a real obstacle. Examples:
The Fix: Switch to Basic Mode
Basic Obstacle Detection Mode turns off the infrared dot projector, removing the source of the bad depth readings in dark conditions.
⚠ Note Basic mode provides somewhat less obstacle detection capability and may have difficulty detecting surfaces without visual texture, such as plain walls. Use it when false obstacles are disrupting your work in darker environments or on reflective floor surfaces.
How to Enable Basic Mode
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Click your profile icon in the top-right corner of the screen, then select Preferences.
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Click Advanced Settings.
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Find Obstacle Detection Mode and click Basic.
Click Done on the warning that appears. You'll see a notice in the FieldPrinter tab confirming the robot is running in Basic mode.
After Switching: Clean Up Old Obstacles
The false obstacles that were already placed won't disappear automatically. Remove them by either:
- Deleting them one at a time, or
- Deleting the entire camera obstacle layer
🔁 Reminder: Mode resets on restart. Every time the robot turns on, Obstacle Detection Mode resets to Standard. If you need Basic mode for your job site, re-enable it at the start of each session.
When This Fix Applies
Basic mode is the right solution when:
- The robot is in a darker environment or operating on a reflective floor surface
- It's generating false obstacles; these may appear as a large blob directly in front of the robot, or as scattered and continuous obstacles across the floor
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Having the robot spin in place creates a ring of obstacles around itself
Still Seeing False Obstacles?
If switching to Basic mode doesn't resolve the problem, you can turn off the Obstacle Detection Camera.