Lidar developer Innovusion has unveiled its latest products for autonomous vehicle deployments at this year’s CES.

Lidar, an acronym for light detection and ranging, is a sensing method of eye-safe laser beams that create a 3D representation of the surveyed environment. The technology is used to determine the variable distance between an object and a sensor.

Production-ready versions of its Falcon and Robin lines were revealed, with the systems also capable of being deployed in smart transportation and industrial automation, the company claimed.

Innovusion co-founder and CEO Junwei Bao said once production begins, it will be able to produce lidars in high volume with reliability, consistency and efficiency while maintaining its affordability.

“After the start of production in 2022, our yearly lidar volume produced with our advanced production line can reach 100,000 units per year with higher volume possible after a few months of capacity expansion and will be able to support future demand from global OEMs,” he said.

New ‘Safety Standard’ for Vehicle Coverage

Innovusion’s Falcon system is an image-grade Lidar with a long detection range of 500 meters. 

The company said it can be customized and integrated into any consumer vehicle.

Falcon’s data quality “enables OEMs to achieve the highest level of ADAS functionality and autonomous driving capability currently available on the market,” Innovusion said of its new product at CES.

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer NIO is using the Falcon Lidar as the standard configuration for its flagship autonomous sedan, ET7.

The lidar is scheduled for delivery in early 2022.

The Robin system meanwhile is a short to mid-range lidar. Coming in at 35 mm in height, it boasts a compact, lightweight size with low power consumption features.

Innovusion said it can be integrated onto a vehicle’s side fender, headlights, rear lights or bumpers, and can provide 360-degree vehicle coverage, including blind-spot detection.

“Together, Falcon and Robin set a new active safety and performance standard for entire vehicle surrounding coverage for perception solutions,” Innovusion’s CES unveiling reads.