Fully Autonomous Vehicles Use Lidar
Volvo is partnering with tech firm Luminar to provide their industry-leading LiDAR and perception technology for Volvo’s next-generation cars.The partnership will deliver Volvo’s first fully autonomous driving technology for highways and paves the way for future active-safety developments.
From an article in Tech AU by Jason Cartwright.
Starting production in 2022, Volvo’s next-generation SPA2 modular vehicle architecture will be available as hardware-ready for autonomous drive, with the Luminar LiDAR integrated seamlessly into the roof.
Cars based on SPA2 will be updated with over the air software updates and – if optioned – the Highway Pilot feature that enables fully autonomous freeway driving can be activated once verified to be safe for individual geographic locations and conditions.
“Autonomous drive has the potential to be one of the most lifesaving technologies in history, if introduced responsibly and safely. Providing our future cars with the vision they require to make safe decisions is an important step in that direction,” commented Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer at Volvo Cars.
In addition to the Highway Pilot feature, Volvo Cars and Luminar are also exploring LiDAR’s role in improving future advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), with the potential for equipping all future SPA2-based cars with a LiDAR sensor as standard.
Luminar’s technology is based on its high-performance LiDAR sensors, which emit millions of pulses of laser light to accurately detect where objects are by scanning the environment in 3D – creating a temporary, real-time map without requiring internet connectivity.
LiDAR is key to creating cars that can navigate safely in autonomous mode, providing them with the reliable vision and perception that cameras and radar alone cannot provide. LiDAR provides an ideal base for safe decision-making in complex environments at high speeds.
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