Let’s talk about silicon photonics innovator SiLC Technologies, Inc.
SiLC’s M.O. is to “help machines see like humans.” To make this IoT mission a reality — helming the future of fine-tuned machine vision — SiLC uses LiDAR, detection systems wherein range is determined by targeting an object or surface (for example) with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver.
“Coherent LiDAR and 4D predictive perception,” as one SiLC representative put it, “offer long-range, interference-free operation and instantaneous velocity for low-latency object classification and threat detection.”
With SiLC’s unique sensor capabilities, the company aims to advance market deployments of coherent 4D imaging solutions across myriad industries; for industrial, AI robotics, augmented reality and consumer applications, to name a few.
Actually, let’s name one more:
Mobility.
“Motion,” as SiLC notes, “is critical for visual cognition.” And this, readers, is where we introduce another element — Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW).
FMCW provides per pixel direct (and instantaneous) velocity and motion data, enhancing the rapid detection (and detailed tracking of) objects, surfaces and so on. In this vein, SiLC’s FMCW LiDAR chip is another 4D solution that enables vehicles and other machines to have all the data they need to execute proper classifications. Short range, long range, or both; SiLC’s technology provides high accuracy and high resolution, making its FMCW LiDAR more than ideal for a variety of IoT use cases.
SiLC also notes how 3D solutions (while admittedly transformative) are also often limited due to cost and size. So, by addressing the growing demand for machine vision innovation, FMCW LiDAR in a single chip represents what some have called “the future of LiDAR in which safety, performance and range dramatically increase” (and with a low-cost, compact footprint, to boot).
As the characters Bill and Ted would say on their journeys into the future, “Excellent!” (*cue the air guitar*)
Excellent, indeed. (And that’s not just me saying that at this juncture, either.)
Honda is echoing it, too.
Let me explain.
Last week, SiLC announced that it received an investment from Honda (News - Alert) to develop even more FMCW LiDAR solutions, particularly for mobility-based applications.
Honda is no stranger to investing in hot startups through its global Honda Xcelerator Ventures open innovation program; this is why Dr. Mehdi Asghari, CEO of SiLC Technologies, explained how this investment from Honda “will accelerate our progress toward a society with fully autonomous solutions that enhance our safety and address our widely spread labor shortages across many critical markets.”
“Our silicon photonics platform offers a powerful, low-cost, efficient and scalable FMCW LiDAR engine, which is essential for the high volumes required by the automotive industry,” Asghari added. “SiLC’s FMCW LiDAR solutions bring superior vision to machines to truly enable the next generation of AI-based automation and move us closer to a more intelligent, interconnected future.”
And coming from Manabu Ozawa, Managing Executive Officer, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., “SiLC is the industry leader in the research and development of FMCW LiDAR, which is capable of detecting vehicles and various obstacles from long distances – and Honda has high expectations for its potential.”
Peruse additional tidbits of FMCW LiDAR-related info — hazard detection, accident prevention, reducing traffic congestion, and comparisons to time-of-flight LiDAR and Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) — by reading here.
Learn more about Internet of Things-powered solutions at IoT Evolution Expo 2025, which will be taking place from February 11-13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Part of the #TECHSUPERSHOW experience, this event combines educational conference programming with a robust exhibit hall, networking events and other activities, bringing together buyers and providers of business technology products and services that are huge for IoT.