“The teams at Aeva are thrilled to the industry’s first automotive-grade 4D LiDAR sensor for mass production in automotive applications,” said Mina Rezk, CTO and co-founder of Aeva Technologies, Inc., a technology provider that specializes in next-gen sensing and perception systems, particularly those that integrate key LiDAR components into its solutions.
What Rezk is referring to, specifically, is Atlas. As the “World’s First Automotive-Grade 4D LiDAR” (according to an Aeva representative), it is set for mass production automotive applications starting in 2025. Atlas is over 70% smaller than previous-gen LiDAR solutions, and it consumers four times less power. This enables operation without active cooling and allows for seamless in-cabin, vehicle roofline, or in-grille integrations.
This is big news for those developing safer advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The tech’s details (along with a slew of additional features and benefits) include the following:
Aeva CoreVision LiDAR-on-Chip Module is designed to meet strict automotive standards. This fourth-generation super-compact module incorporates key LiDAR elements (e.g. transmitter, detector, and a new optical processing interface chip) and – with Aeva’s proprietary silicon photonics technology, in tow – replaces complex optical fiber systems found in conventional time-of-flight LiDAR sensors. Through CoreVision, Aeva is ensuring Atlas’ quality and is enabling mass production at highly affordable costs.
Aeva’s FMCW LiDAR SoC Processor seamlessly integrates data acquisition, point cloud processing, scanning system and application software into a single mixed-signal processing chip. In Aeva’s words, Atlas is “new, powerful, and built with dependability with automotive-grade safety and cybersecurity functions, in mind.”
Furthermore, with this FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) technology, automated vehicles can unlock new levels of safety and reliable automation by detecting objects faster, from farther away, and with higher confidence – instantaneously discriminating between static and dynamic points and knowing the precise velocity of dynamic objects. Atlas delivers critical requirements for highway-speed driving (with a 25% greater detection range for low-reflectivity targets) and a maximum detection range of up to 500 meters. Importantly, Atlas sensors are also immune to interference from direct sunlight, signals from other LiDAR sensors, and from retroreflective objects like street signs, enabling clear perception across a wide variety of everyday driving scenarios.
Aeva Ultra Resolution enables real-time camera-like imaging that provides up to 20 times the resolution of conventional 3D LiDAR sensors. And with cutting-edge Atlas features like Road Hazard Detection, Dynamic Object Detection, Vehicle Localization (i.e. estimates real-time vehicle motion without the need for IMU or GPS) as well as Semantic Segmentation (i.e. segments scenes into drivable and non-drivable regions and flags pedestrians, vehicles, traffic signs, road barriers, infrastructure, etc.), Atlas brings to life the Aeva mission to achieve “Perception for Everything” for Internet of Things innovations.
Again, Aeva expects to release Atlas for production consumer and commercial vehicles starting in 2025, with samples available to select automotive OEMs and mobility customers earlier. Learn more here.
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
