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A new lidar sensor utilizing a patented surround view technology is designed for the autonomous mobility industry. It is a one sensor solution in perception, field-of-view and range for autonomous markets including transportation, trucking and robotics. 

Developed by Volodyne Lidar, the Alpha Prime’s unique combination of innovations allows vehicles to navigate in unfamiliar and dynamic settings, helping improve vehicle safety and enable more precise mapping. 

Lidar (light detection and ranging) is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges to the Earth. These light pulses — combined with other data recorded by the airborne system — generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics. The technology is used for autonomous vehicle sensing in the defense and commercial sectors. Some of the company’s other systems are applied in military autonomous platforms.

Features of the new lidar sensor include a 360-degree surround-view perception and a 40-degree vertical field-of-view and performance in a wide variety of lighting conditions.

It can detect dark or low reflectance objects at long distances, such as tires, dark vehicles, low reflectivity pavement and low visibility pedestrians.

It has an advanced negative obstacle perception, such as potholes and cracks in the road.

The highest resolution along with robust reflectivity returns from over 4.8 million points per second, simplifying detection and tracking of vehicles, pedestrians and other obstructions.

According to roboticstomorrow.com, the high resolution and laser calibration enable the sensor to easily localize vehicles — outdoors or indoors — without a GPS, for precise positioning.