Echodyne presents its intelligent radar system for autonomous driving.
Similar to the lidar system, the Echodyne radar generates an image that is difficult to interpret for humans. But it gives the computer information about the environment. The radar is less susceptible to adverse weather and costs on average less than that Lidar sensor. Radar systems are often unable to detect small objects and the further away the object is, the more difficult it is to detect it.
EchoDrive on research vehicle. Source: spectrum.ieee.org
The radar by Echodyne called EchoDrive is on the streets of Kirkland tested in the US state of Washington. There also tests Waymo his vehicles. The special thing about the EchoDrive is that it uses scan arrays that are based on metamaterials and can identify an object depending on the refraction of the electromagnetic waves ejected. In this way, the radar can be spread across the width or focused on a certain area, which makes object detection easier.
In this way, you can quickly identify large and directionally smaller objects. It is also able to track objects using the radar. Six of the radar sensors could be used for autonomous driving. It is to be added to the other sensors as a redundancy system.
The concept is called cognitive radar and has long been the subject of research.
About David Fluhr
I have been writing about autonomous & connected driving since 2011 and also report on other sites, such as the Smart Mobility Hub. I studied social sciences at HU Berlin and have been an independent journalist since 2012. Contact: mail@autonomes-fahren.de