AEye’s iDAR Shatters Both Range and Scan Rate Performance Records for Automotive Grade LiDAR

Company Simultaneously Closes $40 Million Series B Funding to Fuel Global Expansion
“The test conducted by AEye delivered impressive results…This is an outstanding achievement that demonstrates the true potential of perception systems to reliably and accurately detect and track objects at great range.”

Pleasanton, CA – November 19, 2018 – AEye, a world leader in artificial perception systems and the developer of iDAR™, today announced a major breakthrough in long-range threat detection and safety. In performance specification tests monitored and validated by VSI Labs, one of the nation’s leading automated vehicle technology advisors, AEye’s iDAR system detected and tracked a truck at 1,000 meters, or one kilometer – four to five times the distance current LiDAR systems are able to detect. AEye’s test sets a new benchmark for solid-state LiDAR range, and comes one month after AEye announced a 100Hz scan rate – setting a new speed record for the industry.

The company simultaneously announced $40M in Series B funding, led by Taiwania Capital. The round was significantly oversubscribed and includes multiple global automotive OEMs, Tier 1s, and Tier 2s to be formally announced at CES in January. In addition to Taiwania Capital, existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Intel Capital, Airbus Ventures and Tychee Partners also participated.

New Range and Scan Rate Records Key to Autonomous Automotive and Trucking Safety
Using AEye’s standard iDAR sensor, the company set up a formal test, monitored by VSI Labs, the leading research and development resource for active safety and automated vehicle technologies. The test was structured to establish and verify the range and scan rates of the iDAR system.

The test was conducted on the runway of an airport in Byron, California in order to isolate targets to better measure and calibrate iDAR’s performance. To test range, a standard 20-foot moving truck was tracked and continuously scanned down the length of the 914 meter runway. At the end of the runway, the iDAR system was fully able to continuously detect, and track the movements of the vehicle as well as detect runway signs and markers en route. The AEye sensor vehicle was then taken off the runway to extend the available test range to over 1000m, where iDAR continued to track the truck without difficulty.

“The test conducted by AEye delivered impressive results,” said Sara Sargent, senior engineer at VSI Labs. “We monitored the performance and the truck was clearly identifiable and visible at 1 kilometer. We were also able to verify that AEye’s iDAR system achieves scan rates of 100Hz and that the fusion of the camera and LiDAR in the iDAR sensor produces accurate true color real-time point clouds in the form of Dynamic Vixels. This is an outstanding achievement that demonstrates the true potential of perception systems to reliably and accurately detect and track objects at great range.”

iDAR and Biomimicry
AEye’s iDAR is an intelligent artificial perception system that physically fuses an agile, solid-state LiDAR with a hi-res camera to create a new data type called Dynamic Vixels. These Dynamic Vixels are the result of real-time integration of iDAR’s Agile LiDAR and a low-light camera in the IDAR sensor, not post fusion of a separate camera and LiDAR system after the scan. By capturing x, y, z, r, g, b data, Dynamic Vixels are uniquely created to “biomimic” the data structure of the human visual cortex. Better data drives vastly superior performance and delivers more accurate information. AEye’s use of Biomimicry is more fully explored by Dr. James Doty, world renowned neurosurgeon and clinical professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University, in an article he recently published on Medium.

“After establishing a new standard for LiDAR scan speed, we set out to see just how far we could accurately search, acquire and track an object such as a truck”, said Blair LaCorte, Chief of Staff at AEye. “The iDAR system performed as we expected. We detected the truck with plenty of signal to identify it as an object of interest, and then easily tracked it as it moved over 1000m away. We now believe that with small adaptations, we can achieve range performance of 5km to 10km or more. These results have significant implications for the autonomous trucking and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) markets, where sensing distance needs to be as far as possible and potential threats identified as early as possible to achieve safe, reliable vehicle autonomy.”

New Funds Fuel Company’s Global Expansion
In addition, AEye announced the close of its Series B round, bringing the company’s total funding to over $61 million. The funds will be used to scale AEye’s operations to meet global demand for the company’s artificial perception systems for autonomous vehicles. AEye is uniquely structured to effectively scale through partnerships with contract manufacturers and Tier 1s on a global basis. This has allowed the company to focus on its core design and innovation competencies, avoiding the costs of building manufacturing capacity, while optimizing investment dollars on higher value activities. AEye’s growth has been fueled by its ability, as a software driven platform, to provide artificial perception systems that address both ADAS and Mobility solutions and engagements with customers and partners in Europe, North America, and Asia.

“This funding marks an inflection point for AEye, as we scale our staff, partnerships and investments to align with our customers’ roadmap to commercialization,” said Luis Dussan, AEye founder and CEO. “Our strategic relationship with Taiwania will serve as a gateway to Asia, with valuable manufacturing, logistics and technology resources that will accelerate our ability to address the needs of a global market. We intend to launch our next generation product at CES, which we believe will help OEMs and Tier 1s accelerate their products and services by delivering market leading performance at the lowest cost.”

“We see AEye as the foremost innovator in this space, whose systems deliver highly precise, actionable information at speeds and distances never seen in commercially available LiDAR sensors,” said Huang Lee, Managing Partner at Taiwania. We look forward to working closely with AEye’s team to explore and pursue growth opportunities in this burgeoning space.”

AEye takes a disruptive approach to vehicle perception by putting intelligence at the sensor layer and making it extensible and controllable via a software driven architecture. The company’s iDAR system is an intelligent artificial perception system that physically fuses an agile, solid-state LiDAR with a hi-res camera to create a new data type called Dynamic Vixels with integrated software definable feedback control loops. This enables the iDAR sensor to also dynamically assess and prioritize what’s most relevant in a scene, then process this data at the edge. This is way above and beyond the function of legacy fixed pattern LiDAR systems and standalone cameras with 2D computer vision algorithms. This unique approach enables rapid, dynamic perception & path planning, for drastically improved autonomous vehicle safety and performance.

About AEye
AEye is an artificial perception pioneer and creator of iDAR™, a perception system that acts as the eyes and visual cortex of autonomous vehicles. Since its demonstration of its solid-state LiDAR scanner in 2013, AEye has pioneered breakthroughs in intelligent sensing. The company is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and backed by world-renowned investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Taiwania Capital, Intel Capital, & Airbus Ventures.

About Taiwania Capital
Taiwania Capital is a venture capital firm sponsored by the Taiwan government and large private enterprises. Founded in 2017, Taiwania Capital is focused on ICT-related sectors and startups in fields including: enterprise IT infrastructure and software, AI, IoT, network security, industrial automation, drones and robotics, next-gen semiconductors, autonomous vehicle technology, and digital devices. With offices in both Taiwan and Silicon Valley, Taiwania Capital exclusively backs startups that will turn the promises of technological advancement into scalable applications.

Media Contact:

AEye, Inc.
Jennifer Deitsch
[email protected]

925-400-4366

AEye’s iDAR Shatters Both Range and Scan Rate Performance Records for Automotive Grade LiDAR — AEye Introduces Groundbreaking iDAR TechnologyGartner Names AEye Cool Vendor in AI for Computer VisionThe Future of Autonomous Vehicles: Part I – Think Like a Robot, Perceive Like a HumanAEye Announces Addition of Aravind Ratnam as Vice President of Product ManagementAEye Announces the AE100 Robotic Perception System for Autonomous VehiclesAEye’s iDAR Leverages Biomimicry to Enable First Solid State Lidar with 100Hz Scan RateAutoSens Names AEye Most Exciting Start-Up in the Automotive Imaging SectorAEye Granted Foundational Patents For Core Solid-State MEMs-Based Agile LiDAR And Embedded AI TechnologyAEye Introduces Next Generation of Artificial Perception: New Dynamic Vixels™Nate Ramanathan Joins AEye as Vice President of Operations

TomTom navigation for motorcyclists now available on the BMW Motorrad Connected app

TomTom navigation for motorcyclists now available on the BMW Motorrad Connected app

MILAN, 07-Nov-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — TomTom (TOM2) today announced that BMW Motorrad owners can now experience the best of TomTom navigation for motorcyclists running on the BMW Motorrad Connected app. The smartphone app stays safely in the rider’s pocket, while visual directions are shown on the bike’s integrated handlebar display. Audio directions are provided via Bluetooth® into the rider’s compatible helmet.

Features have been motorcycle-optimized, with one of the most requested – the option to choose winding routes – being introduced.

The new functionality is available from today, with app users needing only to update their app, free of charge, before their next ride.

Antoine Saucier, Managing Director, TomTom Automotive, said: “The combination of TomTom’s maps, software and services provides a fantastic motorbike navigation experience for BMW Motorrad riders.”

TomTom’s navigation components are provided to BMW Motorrad via TomTom’s Navigation software, NavKit, alongside TomTom’s NDS maps, and services including TomTom Traffic, weather and Speed cameras.

TomTom is at EICMA 2018 – Pavilion 13, Booth N72.

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by TomTom is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

ENDS

About TomTom
TomTom is the leading independent location technology specialist, shaping mobility with highly accurate maps, navigation software, real-time traffic information and services.

To achieve our vision of a safer world, free of congestion and emissions, we create innovative technologies that keep the world moving. By combining our extensive experience with leading business and technology partners, we power connected vehicles, smart mobility and, ultimately, autonomous driving.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in 37 countries, TomTom’s technologies are trusted by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

www.tomtom.com

SOURCE: TomTom International BV

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tomtom.pr@tomtom.com
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ChargePoint CEO talks about Tesla Superchargers, wireless and the future of public charging

Pasquale Romano, the CEO of ChargePoint, one of the world’s largest charging networks, sat down with EV writer Jim Motavalli at the recent Web Summit conference for a wide-ranging interview. Romano discusses the accelerating growth of the EV market – in California, plug-ins now make up 5% of new-car sales, and in Silicon Valley it’s… Continue reading ChargePoint CEO talks about Tesla Superchargers, wireless and the future of public charging

Ghosn scandal could trigger a series of crises for Nissan, Renault, Mitsubishi

Marlene Awaad | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Carlos Ghosn, chairman of the alliance between Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., pauses during a Bloomberg Television interview at the Paris Motor Show in Paris, France, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018.

There aren't many automotive executives who can claim to have saved a company, let alone three. But now, Carlos Ghosn might also prove to be the man responsible for shattering the global alliance that transformed Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi into an industry powerhouse.

A day after prosecutors arrested Ghosn and another senior Nissan executive, accusing them of serious financial irregularities, the fallout was escalating. Some auto analysts questioned whether the alliance between the three carmakers could survive the affair, leading nervous investors to pare back their holdings. U.S. traded shares of Renault have slid by about 11 percent since news of Ghosn's arrest in Tokyo broke Monday while Nissan's shares in the U.S. fell by about 6 percent.

Self-destruction

“You're witnessing the single greatest act of self-destruction in modern automotive history,” said Eric Schiffer, chairman of Los Angeles-based Reputation Management Consultants. “Not only has [Ghosn] destroyed his life, but he puts those companies in uncharted and dangerous waters.”

His swift fall from grace places the carefully constructed alliance he built between the three automakers at risk and will have far-reaching repercussions across the industry, auto executives and analysts say.

Perhaps only Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who died last July, came close to matching the high-profile persona of the 64-year-old Ghosn. Born in Brazil of Lebanese parents, he began his career in France with the tire-making giant Michelin.

In 1996, Ghosn was recruited by Paris-based Renault and tasked with pulling together a turnaround plan for the struggling automaker. His strategy worked so well that Renault was back in the black in barely a year.

Ghosn got the chance to prove he wasn't a one-shot wonder when Renault assigned him to lead its efforts to revive debt-laden Japanese automaker Nissan in 1996. With only three of its product lines making money, many observers expected that country's second-largest manufacturer to go broke. There was widespread skepticism when Renault announced plans to purchase a 38.6 percent stake – which has since grown to 43.4 percent.

Skeptics

At the time, former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Renault would be better off “taking $5 billion, putting it on a barge and sinking it in the middle of the ocean.” But within three years, Ghosn's Nissan Revival Plan had taken hold. The automaker halved its debt and was delivering profit margins of around 4.5 percent.

“I said it would never work” Lutz said on CNBC's “Squawk on the Street” on Monday “and to my amazement it has worked fabulously well for both companies.”

Originally working as Nissan's chief operating officer, Ghosn was soon its CEO and, a few years later, added the title of chief executive of Renault, as well as head of their Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Ghosn had long left open the possibility of adding a third leg to the stool and, in 2016, he made his move, directing Nissan to purchase a controlling stake in Mitsubishi, the small Japanese automaker teetering on the brink of bankruptcy after a series of financial and regulatory scandals.

While still too soon to tell whether Mitsubishi is completely out of the woods, it added enough volume to the alliance total that, in 2017, it nudged past both Volkswagen and Toyota to claim the crown as largest automotive group in the world by unit sales.

Forcibly removed

But that celebration could be short-lived. Ghosn, who has repeatedly sidestepped questions about his potential retirement, is now being forcibly removed from all his posts in the wake of this week's breaking scandal.

On Monday, Yokohama-based Nissan issued an initially terse release stating that, “Based on a whistleblower report, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (Nissan) has been conducting an internal investigation over the past several months regarding misconduct involving the company's Representative Director and Chairman Carlos Ghosn and Representative Director Greg Kelly.”

Within hours, reports began circulating that Ghosn and his hand-picked lieutenant had been arrested by authorities in Tokyo where they faced a number of potentially serious allegations. Ghosn — who was now serving as Nissan chairman — was accused of concealing as much as 5 billion yen, or about $45 million, in income, as well as misusing corporate funds. Precise details have yet to be released, however.

For the past two decades, Carlos Ghosn was seen as one of the biggest rock stars in a Japanese business world normally skeptical of “gaijin,” or foreigners. He even became a star of his own comic book series. Since the accusations were made public, however, his image has been washed away by a tsunami of bad news. Reputation expert Schiffer told CNBC, “There will be blood because it is about preserving honor and trust with the public.”

Anger and disappointment

That became apparent within hours. “I feel strong anger and disappointment,” Ghosn's handpicked successor as Nissan CEO, Hiroto Saikawa told reporters at Nissan headquarters in Yokohama. “I am very sorry.”

The Japanese automaker quickly moved to fire Ghosn, even as pressure mounted on Renault to do the same thing a half a planet away. The French government, the automaker's biggest shareholder, called for a shake-up in management. Renault plans to name its chief operating officer Thierry Bollore as an interim replacement for Ghosn, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

“Carlos Ghosn is no longer in a position where he is capable of leading Renault,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France Info radio. But he added that the government “(has) not demanded the formal departure of Ghosn from the management board for a simple reason, which is that we do not have any proof and we follow due legal procedure.”

The fallout could, and likely will, continue according to several observers. During a meeting with reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday, Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko said the very alliance that Ghosn strung together is in jeopardy. “I don't think there is anyone else on Earth like Ghosn who could run Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi,” he said.

Dire warnings

Whether such dire warnings prove true is uncertain. Though they legally operate as independent manufacturers, after nearly two decades working together it can be difficult to distinguish between Nissan and Renault in many areas. They share most of their product platforms, as well as an extensive array of components. They work closely together on advanced research programs, including electric, hybrid and autonomous driving. And they are intertwined in global manufacturing and distribution. Since being pulled into the group, Mitsubishi has also begun mingling its operations.

Many of those activities were carefully crafted by Ghosn, especially the alliance's focus on the technology needed for future mobility, such as battery-electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf.

“He was an asset in navigating globalized markets,” said Jeremy Acevedo, manager of data strategy for automotive service Edmunds. “So really this is coming at a terrible time.”

Daimler

It's not just the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance at risk. For the past nine-years, Ghosn has carefully sculpted a separate partnership with Daimler AG, the parent of the Smart and Mercedes-Benz brands.

Though there are none of the financial cross-holdings found in the alliance, the partners are today working together on a variety of projects. Engines made by Nissan in Smyrna, TN, for example, are being used in Mercedes vehicles assembled in Alabama. Mercedes and Nissan's Infiniti brand share a Mexican assembly plant. And a platform developed by Daimler underpins the Smart fortwo and Renault Twizzy.

At least initially, the partnership with Daimler was nurtured by Ghosn and his German counterpart, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who said at a news conference during the Paris Motor Show last month, “Without the chemistry between us, maybe this wouldn't have happened.”

There have been questions about whether it would survive Zetsche's scheduled move to relinquish the CEO post next year, moving into the post of Daimler chairman. Last month, he told reporters at a joint news conference with Ghosn, “I don't see from my perspective why the momentum in this relationship should change.” But with the Nissan boss enveloped in scandal and the future of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance itself uncertain, all bets are now off.

It is, of course, possible that Ghosn could survive the scandal, the alle..

Official: GM to close Ontario plant, costing 2,500 jobs

Official: GM to close Ontario plant, costing 2,500 jobsToronto – General Motors is planning to announce the closure of its Oshawa, Ontario, plant Monday, which will eventually result in the loss of about 2,500 jobs.
The plant closure announcement was confirmed late Sunday by an official familiar with the decision. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly ahead of Monday’s announcement.
The official said it is part of a global restructuring of GM as they shift focus to lower emitting hybrid vehicles, which is not the focus of the Oshawa plant. GM has informed the Canadian government of the plan.
GM opened its factory in Oshawa, near Toronto, in 1953. The plant is used to make the Cadillac XTS and Chevrolet Impala sedans as well as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
A GM spokesman declined to comment. GM had been expected to close plants because of struggling sales.
Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, said in a statement that it does not have complete details of Monday’s announcement, but it has been informed that there is no product allocated to the Oshawa plant past December 2019.
“Based on commitments made during 2016 contract negotiations, Unifor does not accept this announcement and is immediately calling on GM to live up to the spirit of that agreement,” the union said in a statement on its website.
“Unifor is scheduled to hold a discussion with General Motors (Monday) and will provide further comment following the meeting.”
Oshawa Mayor John Henry said he had not spoken to anyone from GM. Jennifer French, who represents Oshawa in the provincial legislature, said she finds the news “gravely concerning.”
“If GM Canada is indeed turning its back on 100 years of industry and community – abandoning workers and families in Oshawa – then this is a callous decision that must be fought,” she said in a statement.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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