Solid-state LiDAR company Innoviz raises $65M; automotive-grade LiDAR for Level 3-5 autonomy available in 2019
07 September 2017
Innoviz Technologies, a leading provider of LiDAR sensing solutions designed for the mass commercialization of autonomous vehicles, raised $65 million in Series B funding as its solid-state LiDAR solution moves into mass production. (Earlier post.)
Strategic partners Delphi Automotive and Magna International participated in the round, along with additional new investors including 360 Capital Partners, Glory Ventures, Naver and others. All Series A investors, including Zohar Zisapel, Vertex Venture Capital, Magma Venture Partners, Amiti Ventures and Delek Motors, participated in this round. A second closing of this round is expected to be announced soon, introducing additional strategic partners.
Innoviz offers LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology that leverages the company’s proprietary System, MEMS and Detector designs to give autonomous vehicles superior sensing capabilities, even in challenging environments such as bright direct sunlight, varying weather conditions and multi-LiDAR environments.
The company says that its solid-state design is smaller, more reliable and more durable than existing LiDAR solutions. InnovizPro, a development platform designed to provide auto manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers and technology companies with the most advanced LiDAR available for testing and development, will be available in Q1 of 2018. Samples of InnovizOne, the company’s automotive-grade LiDAR device for levels 3 - 5 autonomous driving, will be available in 2019.
InnovizPro offers a high spatial resolution of 0.15˚ x 0.3˚, with a detection range of 150 meters and a field of view of 80˚H x 20˚V. Package size is apprpoximately 18x8x8 cm.
InnovizOne will increase spatial resolution to 0.1˚ x 0.1˚, with a detection range of up to 200 meters and a field of view of 120˚ x 25˚, along with high-resolution 3D video (~6M pixels/sec) and ultra-fine depth accuracy of < 2cm.
That's the proper way to finance ADVs Lidar and other sensors and associated components development and mass production by private industry?
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 September 2017 at 11:09 AM
I like LiDAR for full 3-D vision, but maybe these solid-state devices will still be too expensive for low end cars?
Tesla use radar and cameras, but not LiDAR, probably because LiDAR is so expensive.
Best solution of course, would be to use LiDAR, with cameras and radar. Then the software can integrate these sensors so the vehicle has more reliable and complete "vision" at all times.
This will be especially useful in big trucks and buses where price points are already much higher, so the extra cost won't matter much.
Now, what about those Navy ships that keep getting crashed into? Seems like they need this stuff right away !!!
Posted by: Juan Valdez | 15 September 2017 at 08:30 PM