OpSys Tech Readies New Solid-state Lidar for 2023

Born from smartphone VCSEL technology, the Scanning Microflash Lidar aims for a market price of less than $200 per module.

It is widely believed that autonomous vehicles (AVs) will need lidar, in combination with radar and cameras, to safely reach higher levels of automation. Radar, on its own, lacks the required resolution for object recognition. And while stereo camera systems can provide AI-assisted recognition and depth data, their performance is affected by lighting conditions. Only lidar generates its own light while providing depth-mapped resolutions - leaving cost as lidar's only real drawback, even as more flash-based solid-state options become available. The industry's efforts to reduce per-unit cost are progressing slowly.

Opsys Tech, a company based in Holon, Israel, claims to have developed a new category of lidar for AVs, a 100% solid-state design it calls Scanning Microflash Lidar (SML). According to OpSys, SML incorporates the solid-state advantages of flash lidar with the range and resolution of mechanical-sweep or oscillating micro-electronic mirrors (MEMs), all in one sensor.