Innoviz Technologies Ltd (INVZ)

[WeTheMarket]

Lidar Makers Target Proactive Safety As Automated Driving Remains On The Horizon
Sep 2, 2021, by Sam Abuelsamid
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2021/09/02/lidar-makers-target-proactive-safety-as-automated-driving-remains-on-the-horizon/?sh=3fe8b2891b15

So-called advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) could prove to be the real beneficiary as widespread adoption of robotaxis and other automated vehicles (AVs) remain stuck in small scale pilot programs around the world. While engineers continue to work on AVs and the supporting technologies to remove the human driver, those bits and pieces are finding their way into the vehicles we will be buying in the coming years. At next week’s IAA Mobility show in Munich, Germany, Luminar will be demonstrating how its high-performance lidar sensors can be utilized for ADAS to make roads safer.

There are already several vehicles going on sale this year that are utilizing lidar sensors for ADAS with more expected in 2022 and beyond. Honda is selling a limited number Legend sedans in Japan with a level 3 conditionally automated system that utilized five Valeo Scala lidar sensors. Mercedes-Benz is also using one of those sensors for its L3 Drive Pilot on the new S-Class and EQS launching later this year in Germany while Xpeng’s new P5 sedan uses a pair of Livox sensors and Toyota is using a Denso lidar on its hands-free Teammate system.

However, all of those L2 and L3 systems that allow the driver take their hands off the steering wheel under certain driving conditions are actually convenience features rather than strictly focused on enhancing safety. Luminar’s focus is on the latter as CEO Austin Russell has been promoting the concept of proactive safety. Unlike airbags and seatbelts that are reactive by helping to protect vehicle occupants after an impact, proactive safety involves trying to prevent crashes in the first place.

Early active safety systems included anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control, all of which were designed to help the driver maintain control and make the vehicle respond in the way the driver intended. Those systems had limited ability to perceive the environment using wheel speed sensors, accelerometers, yaw rate and other data about what the driver was requesting and how the vehicle was responding to the road conditions.