Ex-Apple Engineers Produce Integrated Solid-state Lidar
This article was originally published in Geomatics World.
Ex-Apple engineers working for Aeva have developed a solid-state with a range of 200 metres. It’s slated to cost “a few hundred bucks” when produced at volume.
The sensor can capture detailed imagery of the car’s surroundings, as well as measure velocity. Knowing velocity allows it to flag objects that are in motion (a running child, etc) and tell the vehicle’s operating system to pay attention.
The lidar belongs to the new class of frequency modulated continuous wave lidar (FMCW), which is said to reduce interference from other sensors and offer better performance during inclement weather.
Most lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles are just lidar sensors that designers still need to integrate with other sensors (radar, cameras, etc) to build a complete sensor payload. Aeva’s product is more of a full solution that includes lidar alongside all the other sensors that autonomous cars use.
Aeva’s sensor package comes fully calibrated and integrated out of the box–which could have secondary benefits for odometry. The sensor package even offers built-in computer vision tech to perform sensor fusion duties within the box itself.
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