US-based LiDAR startup Luminar announced that it is entering the consumer automotive and commercial trucking markets with a sensing and perception platform called Iris. After three years of stealth development and continuously increasing funds, the company revealed its perception software built on its LiDAR sensing platform. (Image: Luminar) A recent addition of US$100 million, along with previously unannounced capital, brings the company’s total raised to date to more than $250 million. Major financial investors include G2VP, two of the most prominent sover...

The evolution of automobile including changes in energy source and improvement of driving technology is also bringing advances in automotive lighting. The leading photonic technology provider Osram has continued to accelerate its development in automotive lighting and other innovative automotive technologies. Mike Godwin, OSRAM’s Director of Automotive LED Marketing, shared his insight of how automotive LED lighting has improved with the progress of autonomous vehicles. (Mike Godwin, OSRAM’s Director of Automotive LED Marketing. Image: Osr...

Sense Photonics, a company building the next generation of LiDAR and 3D sensor solutions for autonomous vehicles, industrial equipment and other applications, announced a close of a $26 million Series A funding round. The round was co-led by Acadia Woods and Congruent Ventures, with participation from a number of other investors, including Prelude Ventures, Samsung Ventures and Shell Ventures. The company’s solid-state LiDAR system ushers in a new era of advanced 3D imaging technology designed from the ground up to meet the cost, performance and safety requ...

Aurora, the self-driving technology developer, announced its plan to acquire Blackmore, a US-based LiDAR company, asserting LiDAR as a critical component for autonomous vehicle. In Aurora’s announcement, the company noted that on top of its prior knowledge of self-driving technology, it is now focusing on the next generation LiDAR technology called Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW). Blackmore, with its expertise in FMCW, will provide Aurora advantages of high dynamic range, single photon sensitivity, and interference immunity, which advance s...

Pioneer and Canon announced that the two companies have agreed to co-develop a 3D LiDAR sensor with the goal of mass production by Pioneer in 2020. 3D-LiDAR sensors use laser light to accurately measure the distance of objects as well as ascertain three-dimensional information relating to distance and the surrounding environment in real time, and are regarded as an indispensable key device for the realization of level-three and above autonomous vehicles. Pioneer has been working on the development of low cost Micro Electric Memory Systems (MEMS) as well as object rec...

Waymo, the self-driving subsidiary of Alphabet, will start selling its LiDAR sensor, joining the LiDAR business competition with other LiDAR producers including Velodyne LiDAR and Quanergy. Simon Verghese, Head of Lidar Team at Waymo, announced in a blog post that the company is going to sell Laser Bear Honeycomb, one of the LiDAR sensors Waymo developed for its self-driving vehicles to “select partners” – those who do not compete with Waymo in self-driving taxi business. Waymo has developed three types of sensors using short, mediu...

AUTOMOTIVE WORLD, the automotive technology exhibition taking place concurrently with NEPCON Japan, highlighted the theme of CASE, addressing the next generation features of connected, autonomous, sharing and electric vehicles. Masaki Soda, the show director of AUTOMOTIVE WORLD, told LEDinside that the show gathered cutting-edge automotive technologies focusing on the components and technologies of vehicles including lighting modules, battery drivers, automotive IC, panels and others. Soda said, AUTOMOTIVE WORLD offers a plat...

LiDAR solution provider Innoviz Technologies announced that is has won the CES 2018 Innovation Awards Honoree recognition in the Vehicle Intelligence and Self-Driving Technology category for its groundbreaking InnovizPro High Definition Solid State LiDAR.