Latest news with #LiDARs
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volkswagen adopts an autonomous solution: Innoviz Q&A
Autonomous driving tech is seeing more new solutions applied in robotaxis and busses. Uber has partnered with Volkswagen to deploy autonomous ID. Buzz AD vehicles as robotaxis in the US. Supplier of LiDAR solutions, Innoviz, recently announced a collaboration with Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility to accelerate the integration of InnovizTwo LiDAR units into the ID. Buzz AD, VW's L4 autonomous shuttle. Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility, with its brand MOIA, will integrate nine Innoviz LiDARs into each ID. Buzz AD to enable advanced urban autonomous driving. We spoke to Elad Hofstetter, chief business officer, Innoviz, to learn more about the partnership, and to discuss the testing the LiDAR technology undergoes. Just Auto (JA): How did the company begin working with Volkswagen? Elad Hofstetter (EH): We were nominated to work on several of the Volkswagen programs. The programs include different platforms, different vehicle types, and different applications. There are highway applications which are L3 autonomous driving and there are also applications of L4 like the ID Buzz shuttle, which drives in urban environments. As part of this platforms solution with Volkswagen, Innoviz is providing two LiDAR types, the InnovizTwo long range, and the InnovizTwo short range, meaning there are nine LiDARS on each vehicle. Mobileye are also part of this program; they're providing this solution for lots of different customers, suppliers and platforms, around the world. They're providing their L4 platform using our LiDARs for lots of different global partners. How is the LiDAR technology able to work in a busy, urban environment? In a very busy environment, when there's lots of different details, it's important to have high resolution of the LiDAR so you can distinguish between things. Otherwise, you'll have smearing and lots of different objects might be interpreted as one large one. You need to be able to detect vehicles, and also see the 'cracks'- the spacing between vehicles; if a pedestrian crosses through you need to separate between this, so you need a very high and dense resolution in order to do so. This is one of the reasons that Volkswagen have chosen our LiDAR. We provide both the large coverage of field of view (that you need to see in different parts), but can also distinguish between small obstacles, and not just large ones. What testing did the technology undergo before deployment? We needed to drag the LiDAR through the mud. It needs to have very rigorous environmental tests. We wanted to test it under cold conditions, warm conditions, changing conditions, rain, fog, snow, and hail. You need to test it in different environments, in different locations, because different locations have different road types and vibration profiles on the vehicle. You need to take the LiDAR to the extreme - more extreme than what the vehicles go through - in order to absolutely ensure that you can endure what the vehicles go through. We needed to drag the LiDAR through the mud. It needs to have very rigorous environmental tests. The vehicle will not self-drive without the LiDAR. A few months ago we did a winter campaign in which we took our LiDAR driving through Scandinavia in very harsh cold conditions, to test its functionality. We also have ovens for low and high temperature at our labs to test for all of these climate conditions. How do you see LiDAR technology helping the next generation of vehicles? We see it growing rapidly. In 2019 there was a lot of hype around autonomous driving, when everyone felt or thought that autonomous vehicles might be just around the corner. With time, the market and everyone realized that the reality is a little more complicated than that. Those who work in this field understood the full complexity. Waymo announced that 22% of the drives/rides in San Francisco are with their autonomous vehicles - this is fully autonomous. This was in San Francisco, but it could be also London, Paris, or any other city; this is probably going to come faster than we expect. It doesn't mean that tomorrow there will be only autonomous vehicles around us, but it's coming, and this is for the L4 and the L3 as well. To date, there are two brands with an L4 system. One of them is BMW with Innoviz, our first generation InnovizOne, and the other one is Mercedes. These are only two, but more are expected to come, but it takes time - patience is needed. Do you see autonomous vehicles being more passenger focused or business focused? In terms of the taxis, they're a business case. If they get to a certain dollar per kilometre, the company can justify putting sensors and systems on a car. They're replacing a driver, and it could drive let's say 24/7, going for some maintenance every so often. The cost per dollar is improving over time - we can see it with Waymo. Volkswagen and Uber are not small platforms, so these platforms are becoming more and more relevant. You need to meet the performance, you need to meet the environmental conditions, but you need to meet cost requirements. If it's too costly, it will never play for a consumer car. But with volumes, these costs go down dramatically. So, which will grow faster? I don't know, but both are promising. "Volkswagen adopts an autonomous solution: Innoviz Q&A" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
MIT Startup TechNext Awarded Patent for Breakthrough Technology Forecasting System
The first-of-its-kind system enables data-driven R&D and innovation strategy ARLINGTON, Va., June 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TechNext Inc., a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) startup, has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 12,099,572 B2 for its novel system that predicts improvement rates across the vast spectrum of definable technologies, from quantum computing to self-driving cars. Lack Of Quantitative Tools Hinders Innovation With global R&D spending exceeding $2 trillion annually, organizations struggle to allocate resources effectively, often wasting billions on technological dead ends. "R&D has become one of the fastest-growing expenses for companies, yet most decisions still rely on intuition rather than data. We have been flying blind," said Anuraag Singh, TechNext co-founder and co-inventor of the patented technology. Singh, together with co-inventor and co-founder Prof. Christopher L. Magee (Professor Emeritus, MIT), identified the acute need for objective forecasting tools based on their experiences shaping technology strategy at global leaders such as Honda Japan and Ford. Transforming R&D from Intuition to Intelligence "Traditional forecasting methods can't keep pace with technological change," added Prof. Magee. "Our newly patented system for quantitative technology performance forecasting, provides the crucial missing piece: a rapid, data-driven, and systematic way to anticipate the future." The system relies on large empirical datasets, patented algorithms to precisely define tens of thousands of technologies and to forecast improvement rates in their performance. For example, consider Tesla founder Elon Musk's stance that the spinning LiDARs on Alphabet's Waymo are unlikely to be competitive with their exclusively camera-based perception system. The TechNext system can precisely forecast which of the two approaches is likely to perform better in the long-run and whether an alternative technology might outperform both. TechNext helps organizations: Anticipate and capitalize on disruptive technology opportunities Identify acquisition targets years before competitors and avoid expensive dead ends Create new revenue streams by identifying promising technologies early TechNext's customers include the U.S. Air Force, leading Multi-national Corporations, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, think tanks, venture capital firms, and investment funds. TechNext's research is utilized by national laboratories and universities worldwide, with coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Fast Company. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Anuraag Singh, Chief Technology Officer, anuraags@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
MIT Startup TechNext Awarded Patent for Breakthrough Technology Forecasting System
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TechNext Inc., a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) startup, has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 12,099,572 B2 for its novel system that predicts improvement rates across the vast spectrum of definable technologies, from quantum computing to self-driving cars. "R&D has become one of the fastest-growing expenses for companies, yet most decisions still rely on intuition rather than data. We have been flying blind" Share Lack Of Quantitative Tools Hinders Innovation With global R&D spending exceeding $2 trillion annually, organizations struggle to allocate resources effectively, often wasting billions on technological dead ends. "R&D has become one of the fastest-growing expenses for companies, yet most decisions still rely on intuition rather than data. We have been flying blind," said Anuraag Singh, TechNext co-founder and co-inventor of the patented technology. Singh, together with co-inventor and co-founder Prof. Christopher L. Magee (Professor Emeritus, MIT), identified the acute need for objective forecasting tools based on their experiences shaping technology strategy at global leaders such as Honda Japan and Ford. Transforming R&D from Intuition to Intelligence "Traditional forecasting methods can't keep pace with technological change," added Prof. Magee. "Our newly patented system for quantitative technology performance forecasting, provides the crucial missing piece: a rapid, data-driven, and systematic way to anticipate the future.' The system relies on large empirical datasets, patented algorithms to precisely define tens of thousands of technologies and to forecast improvement rates in their performance. For example, consider Tesla founder Elon Musk's stance that the spinning LiDARs on Alphabet's Waymo are unlikely to be competitive with their exclusively camera-based perception system. The TechNext system can precisely forecast which of the two approaches is likely to perform better in the long-run and whether an alternative technology might outperform both. TechNext helps organizations: Anticipate and capitalize on disruptive technology opportunities Identify acquisition targets years before competitors and avoid expensive dead ends Create new revenue streams by identifying promising technologies early TechNext's customers include the U.S. Air Force, leading Multi-national Corporations, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, think tanks, venture capital firms, and investment funds. TechNext's research is utilized by national laboratories and universities worldwide, with coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Fast Company. For more information, visit
Business Wire
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Luminar Shares New Operating Plan & Reports Strong Q1'25 Financials
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Luminar (NASDAQ: LAZR), a leading global automotive technology company, shared an updated strategic plan for its business and reported financial results for the first quarter of 2025. Details of this business update were published in a Presentation available on its Investor Relations website at New Operating Plan Enabled by Unified Product Architecture Luminar has collaborated with multiple leading global OEMs including to develop a collective industry standard for LiDAR, which will cover all use cases from advanced safety through full autonomy, eliminating the need to develop custom products for each OEM or vehicle line. Luminar Halo is designed to uniquely meet and exceed these standards, which also enables streamlining of Luminar to its core LiDAR business. This is another step by the company to drive down cost substantially, with quarterly non-GAAP OpEx expected to be reduced by approximately half by the end of FY'25 versus the beginning of FY'24. 'In a world of macro uncertainty and adversity, we're firing on all cylinders to ramp up production, ramp down costs, and capitalize on the future, as evidenced by our announcements today,' said Austin Russell, Founder & CEO. 'This kicks off our new operating plan for Luminar with a unified product platform, enabling radical focus and streamlining of the business, as well as unlocking value throughout our organization.' 2025 Overall Company-Level Business Milestones: Luminar provided a status update on the following business milestones to be achieved by year-end 2025. Series Production: Ramp series production volume at least 3x year-over-year; Drive economies of scale; Launch additional vehicle models. On track. Luminar shipped ~6k LiDARs in Q1'25, up approximately 50% from ~4k in Q4'24, driven entirely by an increase in automotive series production sensor sales. This brings the cumulative production shipments to ~14k. Next-Generation Technology: Progress on Luminar Halo milestones in OEM development contracts. On track. Luminar is successfully executing development on its Halo LiDAR product and advancing its work against its OEM contracts. Business Model: Streamline Luminar's operations with customer transitions to a singular technology platform to drive efficient execution, reduced costs, and accelerated path to profitability. On track. Today, Luminar announced an updated strategic plan for the company, enabled by a unified product platform developed in collaboration with key OEMs. This drives focused and efficient execution, substantially reduced costs, and accelerated path to profitability. Further, the company outlined its vision for the business beyond Luminar Halo, expanding its use of partners from manufacturing and industrialization to include certain development and testing efforts, and returning to its roots as a cutting-edge technology innovation powerhouse. Webcast Details: Luminar will host a video webcast: What: Video webcast featuring first quarter 2025 financials, business update, and live Q&A Date: Today, May 14, 2025 Time: 6:00 p.m. EDT (3:00 p.m. PDT) Where: A replay will be available following the conclusion of the webcast. For additional information or to be added to Luminar's investor distribution list, please visit us at Notice of Late Filing The Company expects to file a notification of late filing on Form 12b-25 with the SEC, which will provide an automatic 5-day extension of the filing deadline for its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2025 (the 'Quarterly Report'), to May 20, 2025. The Company expects to file the Quarterly Report as soon as practicable within the 5-day extension period. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as 'aims,' 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'estimate,' 'set,' 'continue,' 'towards,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'expect,' 'should,' 'would,' 'forward,' and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. The forward-looking statements include statements relating to the outlook and business milestone achievements for 2025 and expectations regarding the development, performance and commercialization of Luminar Halo. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions by our management and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated, including that next-generation sensors and software will be developed successfully or will accelerate automaker adoption, that new automaker agreements will develop successfully into product launches, that per unit sensor economics will be improved, and that cost reduction efforts will continue to result in improved operational and financial efficiency and eventual profitability. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's business is included in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC, including in the 'Risk Factors' and 'Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations' sections of the Company's reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. About Luminar Luminar is a global automotive technology company ushering in a new era of vehicle safety and autonomy. For the past decade, Luminar has built an advanced hardware and software/AI platform to enable its various partners, ranging from Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz to NVIDIA and Mobileye, to develop and deploy the world's most advanced passenger vehicles. Following the launch of the Volvo EX90 as the first global production vehicle to standardize its technology, Luminar is poised to lead the industry in enabling next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for global production vehicles. For more information please visit
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Luminar Shares New Operating Plan & Reports Strong Q1'25 Financials
Unified Product Architecture Creates New Global LiDAR Standard with Top OEMs & Streamlines Business Production LiDAR Shipments Up 50% QoQ; Continued OpEx Improvement QoQ ORLANDO, Fla., May 14, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Luminar (NASDAQ: LAZR), a leading global automotive technology company, shared an updated strategic plan for its business and reported financial results for the first quarter of 2025. Details of this business update were published in a Presentation available on its Investor Relations website at New Operating Plan Enabled by Unified Product Architecture Luminar has collaborated with multiple leading global OEMs including to develop a collective industry standard for LiDAR, which will cover all use cases from advanced safety through full autonomy, eliminating the need to develop custom products for each OEM or vehicle line. Luminar Halo is designed to uniquely meet and exceed these standards, which also enables streamlining of Luminar to its core LiDAR business. This is another step by the company to drive down cost substantially, with quarterly non-GAAP OpEx expected to be reduced by approximately half by the end of FY'25 versus the beginning of FY'24. "In a world of macro uncertainty and adversity, we're firing on all cylinders to ramp up production, ramp down costs, and capitalize on the future, as evidenced by our announcements today," said Austin Russell, Founder & CEO. "This kicks off our new operating plan for Luminar with a unified product platform, enabling radical focus and streamlining of the business, as well as unlocking value throughout our organization." 2025 Overall Company-Level Business Milestones: Luminar provided a status update on the following business milestones to be achieved by year-end 2025. Series Production: Ramp series production volume at least 3x year-over-year; Drive economies of scale; Launch additional vehicle models. On track. Luminar shipped ~6k LiDARs in Q1'25, up approximately 50% from ~4k in Q4'24, driven entirely by an increase in automotive series production sensor sales. This brings the cumulative production shipments to ~14k. Next-Generation Technology: Progress on Luminar Halo milestones in OEM development contracts. On track. Luminar is successfully executing development on its Halo LiDAR product and advancing its work against its OEM contracts. Business Model: Streamline Luminar's operations with customer transitions to a singular technology platform to drive efficient execution, reduced costs, and accelerated path to profitability. On track. Today, Luminar announced an updated strategic plan for the company, enabled by a unified product platform developed in collaboration with key OEMs. This drives focused and efficient execution, substantially reduced costs, and accelerated path to profitability. Further, the company outlined its vision for the business beyond Luminar Halo, expanding its use of partners from manufacturing and industrialization to include certain development and testing efforts, and returning to its roots as a cutting-edge technology innovation powerhouse. Webcast Details: Luminar will host a video webcast: What: Video webcast featuring first quarter 2025 financials, business update, and live Q&A Date: Today, May 14, 2025 Time: 6:00 p.m. EDT (3:00 p.m. PDT) Where: A replay will be available following the conclusion of the webcast. For additional information or to be added to Luminar's investor distribution list, please visit us at Notice of Late Filing The Company expects to file a notification of late filing on Form 12b-25 with the SEC, which will provide an automatic 5-day extension of the filing deadline for its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2025 (the "Quarterly Report"), to May 20, 2025. The Company expects to file the Quarterly Report as soon as practicable within the 5-day extension period. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "aims," "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "set," "continue," "towards," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "forward," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. The forward-looking statements include statements relating to the outlook and business milestone achievements for 2025 and expectations regarding the development, performance and commercialization of Luminar Halo. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions by our management and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated, including that next-generation sensors and software will be developed successfully or will accelerate automaker adoption, that new automaker agreements will develop successfully into product launches, that per unit sensor economics will be improved, and that cost reduction efforts will continue to result in improved operational and financial efficiency and eventual profitability. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's business is included in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. About Luminar Luminar is a global automotive technology company ushering in a new era of vehicle safety and autonomy. For the past decade, Luminar has built an advanced hardware and software/AI platform to enable its various partners, ranging from Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz to NVIDIA and Mobileye, to develop and deploy the world's most advanced passenger vehicles. Following the launch of the Volvo EX90 as the first global production vehicle to standardize its technology, Luminar is poised to lead the industry in enabling next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for global production vehicles. For more information please visit View source version on Contacts Investor Relations:Aileen (Smith) McAdamsinvestors@ Media Relations:Milin Mehtapress@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
