Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has acquired mapping and localization software as well as intellectual property assets from Mapper.ai. Mapper technology will enable Velodyne to accelerate development of Vella, software that establishes its directional view Velarray lidar sensor.

The Velarray is the first solid-state Velodyne lidar sensor that is embeddable and fits behind a windshield, as an integral component for superior, more effective advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Mapper integrated Velodyne lidar sensors into easily deployable solutions for scalable high-definition mapping.

Mapper’s entire leadership and engineering teams will join Velodyne, bolstering the company’s large and growing software development group. The new talent will augment the current software team of engineers working on Vella software, which will accelerate Velodyne’s production of ADAS solutions.

Velodyne’s solutions will allow customers to unlock advanced capabilities for ADAS features including pedestrian and bicycle avoidance; Lane Keep Assistance (LKA); Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB); Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Traffic Jam Assist (TJA); and more.

Velodyne has both created the market for high-fidelity automotive lidar and established itself as the leader. We have been Velodyne customers for years and have already integrated their lidar sensors into easily deployable solutions for scalable high-definition mapping. We are excited to use our technology to speed up Velodyne’s lidar-centric software approach to ADAS.

—Dr. Nikhil Naikal, founder and CEO of Mapper

In addition to ADAS, Velodyne will incorporate Mapper technology into lidar-centric solutions for other emerging applications, including autonomous vehicles, last-mile delivery services, security, smart cities, smart agriculture, robotics, and unmanned aerial vehicles.