LiDAR Technology for Safer ADAS and Autonomous Automobiles

Assisted driving automobiles are starting to hit the mainstream and the promise of self-driving cars is becoming a reality. These cars have conventionally used cameras and radar to sense the environment around them to avoid accidents but both of these technologies are not foolproof. LiDAR technology is quickly being seen as the solution to these problems.

AZoSensors spoke to Michael Poulin, of LeddarTech, on LiDAR technology, the rapid evolution of autonomous driving and why their Leddar technology represents some of the best solid-state sensors in the business.

What is LiDAR sensing and why is it a major trend in autonomous driving?

Today, most experts agree that LiDAR is one of the key sensing technologies required to enable partial to full autonomous driving. LiDAR (an acronym for Light Detection and Ranging) is an active remote sensing method that works on the principle of radar, but uses light waves sources instead of radio waves.

Fundamentally, a LiDAR-based sensor illuminates a target area with invisible light and measures the time it takes for this light to bounce back to its source. As light moves at a constant speed, we can calculate the distance between the sensor and objects within the detection zone with high accuracy.

Over the next 20 years, as automotive capabilities evolve from active safety to autonomous driving, LiDARs are foreseen to become the largest portion of automotive detection and ranging sensors, complementing or replacing radars and cameras.

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