German automotive supplier Bosch has developed an affordable Lidar sensor technology that allows cars to “see” the road. The initiative could speed up the development of self-driving vehicles and make Lidar more affordable for the mass market.
Lidar uses light-based sensors to generate a three-dimensional view of the road that provides more depth of data for detecting distance, obstacles and hazards. However, it is still in its infancy and expensive.
Making Lidar affordable
A raft of small, start-up companies is currently working on Lidar development but Bosch’s involvement could help commercialise the technology sooner. The company’s stated focus is on producing “affordable mass market” technology.
Bosch has not given a production timeline, pricing or details of any existing automotive customers for the internally-developed sensor, but in a statement it said the product will be exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 in Las Vegas next week, working in conjunction its camera and radar technologies.