NXP launches unified robotics platform with drone reference designs

NXP Semiconductors has launched a unified robotics platform built on what it calls its Neural Axis Architecture, a distributed hardware and software foundation intended to connect sensing, real-time control, AI processing and communications across robotic systems. The platform is available now, with reference designs and an accompanying software development kit (SDK) covering drone applications.

According to NXP, the open-source, modular SDK provides drivers, middleware integration, reference applications, configuration tools and reusable software components, with integrations for PX4, Zephyr and ROS 2. The company states that developers can move from evaluating a single subsystem, such as motor control, to adding AI-based perception, flight control and navigation for a complete autonomous drone using the same validated development environment.

Reference designs and silicon

The initial drone-focused reference designs span four functions, each built on a different NXP processor:

• Autonomous compute and flight control: NavQ95, based on the i.MX 95 applications processor
• Flight management: Tropic VMU/FMU, based on the i.MX RT1064 crossover MCU
• Intelligent sensor networking: 100Base-T1 Sensor Node, based on the MCX N947 MCU
• Motor control: an AM32-compliant electronic speed controller based on the MCX A13 MCU

NXP says each design carries the safety and security enablement of its primary processor, which can be used independently of the robotics-specific functionality, and that the combination allows initial drone functionality to be achieved within 30 minutes out of the box. This figure is a vendor claim and not independently verified.

NXP states that integrating robotic subsystems across different form factors can otherwise take developers months, and that its pre-integrated software and validated subsystem interoperability are intended to cut that to days or weeks. The company attributes this comparison to its own assessment rather than third-party measurement.

Scope and roadmap

The current release covers drone applications only. NXP says future reference designs will extend the platform to service robots, autonomous mobile robots and other autonomous systems, with additional enablement for these targeted for the second half of 2027. Drone developers including blueflite and Orqa are cited by NXP as having worked with the platform, with both companies quoted on development speed and real-time communication requirements for high-performance drone systems; these are company statements rather than independently verified results.