LOOKING PAST ADAS

Advances in perception hardware and software deliver new performance possibilities - and a refreshed vision for passenger-vehicle driving automation.

The streets of Munich look different when seen through a Nodar point cloud created by a set of stereo cameras. Nodar's Hammerhead technology uses two standard, automotive-grade CMOS cameras connected like human eyes, but the output is much more than a high-tech Viewmaster.

During IAA 2023, Nodar provided test rides through the city's crowded streets to showcase a prototype Hammerhead system displaying live images of the world in front of the vehicle measured by distance. Being able to build a live, 3D point cloud like this is not new, but doing it with two off-the-shelf cameras that can be positioned anywhere on the vehicle and algorithms that accurately measure distance is - particularly without a lidar sensor on board - unusual.