# The Matter of Time -- A General and Efficient System for Precise Sensor Synchronization in Robotic Computing

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.16045 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.16045/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 Mar 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Vision-Guided Quadrupedal Locomotion in the Wild with Multi-Modal Delay Randomization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.14549/) (2021)
- [Rise of the Autonomous Machines](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.13987/) (2021)
- [Robust sensor fusion against on-vehicle sensor staleness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.05780/) (2025)
- [Sub-millisecond Video Synchronization of Multiple Android Smartphones](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.00987/) (2021)
- [Enabling Level-4 Autonomous Driving on a Single 1k Off-the-Shelf Card](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.06373/) (2021)
- [SmartDepthSync: Open Source Synchronized Video Recording System of Smartphone RGB and Depth Camera Range Image Frames with Sub-millisecond Precision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.03552/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Time synchronization is a critical task in robotic computing such as autonomous driving. In the past few years, as we developed advanced robotic applications, our synchronization system has evolved as well. In this paper, we first introduce the time synchronization problem and explain the challenges of time synchronization, especially in robotic workloads. Summarizing these challenges, we then present a general hardware synchronization system for robotic computing, which delivers high synchronization accuracy while maintaining low energy and resource consumption. The proposed hardware synchronization system is a key building block in our future robotic products.