Super High Resolution Sensor for Autonomous Driving from Velodyne

Velodyne Labs, which is known for its for its real-time 3D sensors, has announced that it has produced a LiDAR with what it calls “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 LiDAR as the industry standard for high performance. High-resolution LiDAR is critical to navigate autonomous cars and provide vehicle safety. It is expected that the VLS-128™ will become the new standard for fully autonomous cars and cars equipped with advanced safety features because of the unchallenged quantity of data it produces in real time at top speed.

“When it comes to safety, it is critical for a car to have really good eyes for driving,” Velodyne’s President and Chief Business Development Officer said. “You need 3D vision that accurately measures and generates a billion data points in real time at the speed of light. This is the technology necessary to simultaneously judge the speed of other vehicles, determine pedestrian locations, and judge safety with assurance.”

“The VLS-128™ provides the highest resolution with the widest field of view in the world. With the VLS-128™ LiDAR, there are billions of data points to analyze a dynamic, changing environment to determine safety,” states Velodyne President Marta Hall about the breakthrough in LiDAR resolution.

High-resolution LiDAR is important for object detection and collision avoidance at all speeds, with the highest resolution needed especially when traveling at speeds higher than 30 miles per hour. The faster a vehicle goes, the more data is needed at a faster pace for safety evaluation.

Cost matters. President Marta Hall adds, “We are getting the cost down. It is already dramatically reduced, and more so when ordered at higher volumes. Into the future, LiDAR will be affordable and put on cars worldwide for safety and autonomy.”

Category: General Update, News