REUTERS: The first heavily automated mass-market vehicles for consumers could go on sale as soon as 2022, if one or more vehicle manufacturers adopt a new sub-US$500 lidar sensing package being developed by Silicon Valley startup Luminar.
The company's new Iris system will be offered in two versions, one that will enable hands-free"freeway autonomy" and a less expensive version that will enable some automated functions, such as automatic emergency steering and braking. The first is designed to sell for under US$1,000 at higher production volumes, while the second, which is intended to plug into manufacturers' advanced driver assistance systems , is expected to sell for under US$500, Russell told Reuters.
Lidar-driven ADAS"can be more easily monetized by the manufacturers more easily implemented today" than fully automated systems, said Steve Lambright, vice president of marketing for lidar startup AEye, which is developing components for both types of systems.In the meantime, a long-predicted shakeout in the lidar sector has yet to materialize, judging from a recent flurry of investments and acquisitions, even though the industry has yet to embrace a single lidar technology.
A new player, North Carolina-based Sense Photonics, this week closed a Series A round and has raised more than US$43 million, with backing from corporate investors Samsung Ventures and Shell Ventures.