Luminar Launches Perception Engine with Subscription Service
January 07, 2020 at 09:00 am
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Luminar introduced the industry's most advanced LiDAR perception technology that enables safe driver-out-of-the-loop autonomy. This is achieved via deep integration of LiDAR sensing, software and compute, enabling the industry to transition from isolated component testing to successful commercialization for Level 3 and 4 autonomous applications beginning on highways. Hydra begins shipping this quarter and is available through a new subscription model -- the first of its kind for LiDAR. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Luminar demonstrated the technology’s capabilities in real-time: detecting and classifying objects out to 250M. Paired with Luminars sensors, its new Perception Compute Unit (PCU) reference design is powered by the NVIDIA Xavier SoC, which is already being embedded into production vehicles. This end-to-end solution will have the effect of substantially shortening and solidifying industry timelines, enabling autonomy to be commercialized in production in 2022. With the release of Hydra, Luminar has transitioned its core business from selling sensors to a subscription-based service for its autonomous vehicle development partners that enables a deeper integration throughout development cycles, increasing development speed as well as enabling more focused feature development. Hydra brings consolidation for LiDAR perception, localization as well as mapping; simplified sensor updates and diagnostics; a redundant perception stack for full autonomy development; and a seamless bridge from the Hydra development platform to the Iris series production system as the perception interface will be the same as platforms move into series production and public release. Ultimately, this allows partners to stay focused on what they do best: building autonomous vehicles at scale for personal and commercial transportation needs for decades to come. Hydra is an integrated product of three key self-driving technologies: Luminar’s LiDAR, built from the chip-level up; Luminar’s new software suite, built and optimized specifically for Luminar LiDAR; Luminar’s new perception computer, a reference design built on the NVIDIA Xavier SoC.
Luminar Technologies, Inc. is a global automotive technology company, which is engaged in vehicle safety and autonomy. The Company enables safety and autonomous capabilities for passenger and commercial vehicles as well as other adjacent markets. The Company operates through two segments: Autonomy Solutions and Advanced Technologies and Services (ATS). The Autonomy Solutions segment is engaged in design, manufacturing, and sale of lidar sensors catering mainly to the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the automobile, commercial vehicle, robo-taxi, and adjacent industries. The ATS segment provides advanced semiconductors and related components, as well as design, test, and consulting services to the Autonomy Solutions segment and to various third-party customers, including government agencies and defense contractors, in markets generally unrelated to autonomous vehicles. The Company's products include Iris lidar, Core Sensor Software, Driving Functions Software, and Sentinel.