The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced $11 million in funding for 7 projects in the fourth and fifth cohorts of the agency’s OPEN+ program: Energy-Water Technologies and Sensors for Bioenergy and Agriculture. Energy-Water cohort teams will develop new, energy-efficient processing technologies for industrial (particularly oil... Read more →

Baidu, Inc. has introduced Apollo 3.5, the newest and most powerful release of the open, reliable and secure software platform for the development of autonomous driving systems through on-vehicle and hardware platforms. Apollo 3.5 is the first open source autonomous driving platform that can perform in complex urban and suburban... Read more →

Cepton Technologies Inc., a provider of 3D LiDAR solutions, announced two new LiDAR products: the Vista-M and Vista-X. The Vista series LiDAR solutions are built with Cepton’s patented Micro-Motion Technology (MMT) and run on the NVIDIA DRIVE in-vehicle AI computing platform—providing high resolution and long-range imaging to enable all levels... Read more →

Innoviz Technologies and HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, have formed a strategic partnership to make Innoviz’s high-performing, solid-state and mass-producible LiDAR solutions (earlier post) available to OEMs globally. HARMAN will leverage Innoviz’s LiDAR offerings to... Read more →

At CES this year, ZF is highlighting its sensor portfolio which can detect vehicle surroundings and thereby help to enhance the safety of conventional and automated vehicles. The resulting architecture—including a new, full-range radar, solid state LiDAR, innovative cameras and acoustic sensors—are combined with a powerful and scalable NVIDIA platform... Read more →

Israel-based Arbe is launching Phoenix, its automotive 4D imaging radar beta product. This new front-end system, powered by Arbe’s proprietary chipset technology, enables evaluation and development towards production and full commercialization of 4D imaging radar for all levels of vehicle autonomy. Phoenix provides an image 100 times more detailed than... Read more →

In advance of CES, Velodyne Lidar, Inc. introduced new technology that will serve as the cornerstone of future advanced driving safety systems. The Alpha Puck, Velarray & VelaDome. Velodyne unveiled the VelaDome, a compact embeddable lidar that provides an ultra-wide 180° x 180° image for near-object avoidance. The compact sensor... Read more →

The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) will introduce the TRI-P4 automated driving test vehicle on 7 January at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. The P4 is based on the new fifth-generation Lexus LS flagship sedan and will be used in TRI’s two-track Guardian and Chauffeur automated driving system development (earlier post).... Read more →

Autonomous Intelligent Driving GmbH, a a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi AG and the center of excellence for urban autonomous driving in the Volkswagen Group—announced a partnership with Luminar Technologies Inc. to deploy its LiDAR technology. Since launching in March 2017, AID has been scouting the best complementary LiDAR solutions... Read more →

An IIHS study of General Motors vehicles with optional front crash prevention systems found that GM vehicles with autobrake and forward collision warning had 43% fewer police-reported front-to-rear crashes of all severities and 64% fewer front-to-rear crashes with injuries than the same vehicles without any front crash prevention technology. For... Read more →

Continental has developed a sensor that is able to measure the height and pressure of air springs using ultrasound. With the Ultrasonic Height and Pressure Sensor (UHPS), it will be possible to adjust the height of vehicles electronically, thereby improving the efficiency of urban buses. The UHPS adjusts the height... Read more →

LeddarTech has delivered the first A-samples of its LeddarCore LCA2 system-on-chip (SoC) (earlier post) to select automotive partners which will be publicly disclosed at a later date this year. The LCA2 is the autonomous vehicle industry’s first 3D solid-state LiDAR (SSL) SoC and is available now to Tier-1 automotive manufacturers... Read more →

IHS Markit forecasts that global revenue for the automotive magnetic sensors market will expand to $2.3 billion in 2030, more than double the $1.1 billion collected by the industry last year. The magnetic sensors space will benefit from a discernible acceleration in market demand as the effects of car electrification... Read more →

Bosch and Daimler have selected and signed an agreement with NVIDIA as a supplier for the artificial intelligence (AI) platform needed to implement automated driving in cities. AI is an important building block in for a fully automated and driverless vehicle network of several individual ECUs (Electronic control units). Under... Read more →

Supplier Hyundai Mobis plans to develop a full range of sensors to support autonomous by 2020 with the goal of leading the global market. The company made the announcement at its new proving ground, which opened last June in Seosan, South Korea, as a test bed for new technologies. The... Read more →

Magna and its partner Innoviz Technologies (earlier post) will supply the BMW Group with solid-state LiDAR for upcoming autonomous vehicle production platforms. The new-business award is one of the first in the auto industry to include solid-state LiDAR for serial production. While Magna has demonstrated via its MAX4 platform the... Read more →

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which is developing future manufacturing concepts, has succeeded in 3D printing a smart shaft, combining sensor technology, wireless data transfer, and condition monitoring in the same package. The new manufacturing methods will enable the creation of new business models and provide a competitive edge... Read more →

Porsche Digital GmbH has purchased a minority stake in Israeli start-up Anagog as a strategic expansion to its digital innovation portfolio. Founded in 2010, the Tel Aviv-based start-up currently has around 30 employees and specializes in developing artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of mobility. Daimler also recently took a... Read more →

Cepton Technologies, Inc., a provider of 3D LiDAR solutions for automotive, industrial and mapping applications, unveiled its Vista LiDAR sensor at the annual NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference, with immediate availability for the autonomous vehicle market. Cepton says that the Vista LiDAR sensor delivers best-in-class performance to the automotive market when... Read more →

BMW i Ventures has invested in Blackmore Sensors and Analytics, Inc., a leading developer of frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidar for the automotive industry. Low-cost lidar sensors are required to enable self-driving vehicles and, in addition to being more cost-effective, Blackmore’s FMCW lidar technology has several competitive advantages over traditional... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation announced its new R-Car V3H system-on-chip (SoC) that delivers high computer vision performance and AI processing at industry-leading low power levels, targeting automotive front cameras for use in mass-produced Level 3 (conditional automation) and Level 4 (high automation) autonomous vehicles. The new R-Car V3H system-on-chip (SoC) is... Read more →

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Hydrogen Sensor Laboratory was used recently in a partnership with KPA Services, LLC (KPA), at the request of Toyota Motors to validate hydrogen sensors for incorporation into their system to adapt vehicle repair facilities for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The Hydrogen Sensor Laboratory... Read more →

Researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick (UK) have developed a method to assess the maximum current for commercial 18650 Li-ion batteries, using novel instrumentation methods enabling in operando measurements. In an open-access paper in the journal Electrochimica Acta, they reported that the maximum charging current that could be... Read more →

NVIDIA and Continental are partnering to create AI (artificial intelligence) self-driving vehicle systems built on the NVIDIA DRIVE platform, with a planned market introduction starting in 2021 for Level 3 functionality. The partnership will enable the production of AI computer systems that scale from automated Level 2 features through full... Read more →

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed what it believes to be the industry’s highest performing automotive camera technology. The technology detects various object types at distances of up to about 100 meters, enabling drivers to receive advanced warning for enhanced driving safety in coming mirrorless cars. The solution, which is based... Read more →

Magna unveiled its high-resolution ICON RADAR at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). ICON RADAR incorporates advanced technology used by the US military to provide precise detection, extensive range and high resiliency. With a range of more than 300 meters, Magna’s ICON RADAR continuously scans the environment in four... Read more →

In addition to showcasing its new lineup of consumer products such as 4K OLED televisions, smartphones and wireless noise-cancelling stereo headsets, Sony used CES to introduce its “safety cocoon” concept, which signifies the creation of an area of enhanced safety around a vehicle where it can monitor and detect the... Read more →

Solid-state LiDAR company Quanergy (earlier post), introduced Qortex, a core, proprietary perception software platform compatible with Quanergy’s full suite of LiDAR sensors. With the release of Qortex, Quanergy is now the only LiDAR manufacturer to produce a commercial integrated software and hardware platform solution, enabling a entirely new level of... Read more →

AEye, a startup with investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Airbus Ventures and Intel Capital (earlier post), announced the AE100, its first robotic perception system for autonomous vehicle, ADAS, and mobility markets. The AE100 is a solid state, cost-optimized system based on AEye’s iDAR (Intelligent Detection and Ranging) technology.... Read more →

Mobileye, an Intel Company, a global leader in the development of vision and data analysis for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving, and Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) have agreed to a collaboration intended to reduce road accidents and prepare Spain’s infrastructure ecosystem and regulatory policy for... Read more →

ON Semiconductor announced a scalable family of CMOS image sensors to address the spectrum of applications for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. The sensors have resolutions scaling from 8.3 megapixels (MP) down to 1.2 MP, with industry-leading low-light performance from 4.2 µm pixels. The AR0820AT, AR0220AT and... Read more →

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) will show its next-generation automated driving research vehicle, Platform 3.0, at CES next week in Las Vegas. The new platform, which is built on a Lexus LS 600hL, combines greater technological capabilities with new harmonized styling that integrates the automated vehicle technology into the LS model’s... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group and self-driving technology startup Aurora Innovation, founded by technology veterans from Google, Tesla and Uber, announced a strategic collaboration ahead of the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The collaboration brings the two companies together to realize self-driving electric vehicles in cities as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)... Read more →

ON Semiconductor has joined Baidu’s Apollo Autonomous Driving Platform. (Earlier post.) Through this collaboration, ecosystem partners can get the plug-and-play compatible imaging solutions jointly developed by both companies. Apollo provides an open-source, reliable software and hardware system, enabling the efficient development of autonomous driving systems by automotive systems designers. Image... Read more →

LG Electronics is partnering with HERE Technologies (HERE), a global provider of digital mapping and location services, to offer a next-generation telematics solution for autonomous vehicles. The solution combines LG‘s advanced telematics technology with high-precision map data and location services powered by the HERE Open Location Platform. Through their planned... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation is introducing the R-Car V3M Starter Kit to simplify and speed up the development of New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) front camera applications, surround view systems, and LiDARs. The new starter kit is based on the R-Car V3M image recognition system-on-chip (SoC), delivering a combination of low... Read more →

In a new paper appearing in IEEE Access, members of the Camera Culture group at MIT’s Media Lab present a new approach to time-of-flight (ToF) imaging that increases its depth resolution 1,000-fold—the type of resolution that could make self-driving cars practical. The new approach could also enable accurate distance measurements... Read more →

Earlier this month, Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, conducted a successful demonstration of the company’s autonomous helicopter system developed under the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Autonomous Aerial Cargo Utility System (AACUS) program. Held at Marine Corps Base Quantico’s Urban Training Center, the AACUS-Enabled UH-1H (AEH-1) conducted multiple flights,... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation and Dibotics, a leader in real-time 3D LiDAR processing, have collaborated to develop an automotive-grade embedded solution for LiDAR processing used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving applications. The jointly-developed solution will enable system manufacturers to develop real-time 3D mapping systems with high level... Read more →

Continental is now developing its fifth generation of automotive short- and long-range radar sensors, which will enter series production in 2019. Not only does the new generation have greater capacity, it is also based on a scalable modular principle, which, with its graduated function scopes, flexibly supports vehicle manufacturers’ different... Read more →

LeddarTech will present the LeddarCore LCA2, the industry’s first 3D solid-state LiDAR (SSL) integrated circuit (IC) enabling mass production of automotive LiDARs, in the Leddar Ecosystem pavilion at CES 2018 in Las Vegas next month. LCA2 IC engineering samples and LCA2-based 3D Flash LiDAR modules (A-samples) will be on display... Read more →

Audi is exhibiting an innovative pre-development project to support autonomous driving at the NIPS 2017 conference in Long Beach, California, this week. A project team from the Audi subsidiary Audi Electronics Venture (AEV) developed a mono camera that uses artificial intelligence to generate an extremely precise 3D model of the... Read more →

Israel-based Newsight Imaging, a developer of advanced CMOS image sensors for laser LiDAR and spectral analysis, is partnering with China-based LeiShen Intelligent, a global provider of high-performance laser LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) systems to deliver V-LiDAR—a solid-state 3D pulsed-based LiDAR for automotive applications used in ADAS systems and in... Read more →

Velodyne Labs announced that it has produced a LiDAR with the world’s best resolution, longest range, and widest field of view, the result of which will boost the autonomous vehicle and advanced safety market. The Velodyne VLS-128, with 128 laser beams, produces the best resolution and will replace the HDL-64... Read more →

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are partnering with the city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to develop UrbanSense, a comprehensive sensor network and real-time visualization platform that helps cities evaluate trends in urban activity. The project, initiated by ORNL’s Urban Dynamics Institute (UDI), centers on... Read more →

Magna is using a torsional welding process for joining thermoplastic materials in order to help automakers cut weight and costs. The torsional welding process, developed by Magna for automotive applications at its exteriors plant in Liberec, Czech Republic, in collaboration with Telsonic Ultrasonics, features a high-speed twisting motion that creates... Read more →

ON Semiconductor is introducing a CMOS image sensor platform that brings new levels of performance and image quality to automotive applications such as ADAS, mirror replacement, rear and surround view systems, and autonomous driving. The Hayabusa platform features a ground-breaking 3.0-micron backside illuminated pixel design that delivers a charge capacity... Read more →

Nissan’s 2018 Rogue crossover, which goes on sale 24 October at Nissan dealers in the US, will be the first model in the US to offer Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist technology. ProPILOT Assist provides assisted steering, braking and accelerating during single-lane highway driving. (Earlier post.) ProPILOT Assist is the foundation for... Read more →

The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, has formed an Automotive Birds of a Feather (BoF) Group to solicit industry input from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their suppliers to enhance existing or develop new interface specifications for automotive applications. The group... Read more →

Fisker Inc. will showcase the all-new EMotion luxury electric vehicle with Quanergy Systems at the upcoming 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Quanergy System will be integrating five of Quanergy’s S3 solid-state LiDAR sensors (earlier post) into the Fisker EMotion. Fisker and Quanergy Systems, are working closely in... Read more →