RoboSense Smart LiDAR Sensor Wins the 2020 Edison Awards

 RoboSense, the world’s leading autonomous driving LiDAR perception solution provider, has been honored as a winner in Transportation & Logistics Category for 2020 Edison Awards. The Edison Awards is one of the world's prestigious awards that symbolize the persistence and excellence in innovation and honors the most innovative products and business leaders in the world. It was established in 1987 and named after inventor Thomas Alva Edison and sometimes referred to as “The Oscars of Innovation.” All the winners were chosen as the "best of the best" by the global review panel consisting of 3,000 senior business executives and academics.

“We are very proud that our Smart LiDAR Sensor has been recognized by 2020 Edison Awards. It stands for the global industry experts’ recognition of RoboSense product design, development, and production processes and also indicates that RoboSense has achieved a new milestone of complete readiness for mass production of automotive LiDARs. We will continuously improve the product performance for the safety and mass production development of autonomous vehicles,” Dr. Leilei Shinohara, RoboSense Co-partner and Vice President said.

For the environment perception of autonomous driving, the sensor hardware only collects data, thus AI perception algorithms for data analysis are needed to speed up self-driving car’s accurate decision making. The RoboSense “RS-LiDAR-M1” is the world’s first and smallest MEMS Smart LiDAR Sensor to incorporate sensor hardware, AI perception algorithms, and IC chipsets. It transforms overpriced traditional LiDAR systems known as solely information collectors to full data analysis and comprehension systems, providing essential information for the autonomous vehicles to achieve decision-making faster and safer than ever before. For OEMs, the smart LiDAR Sensor with AI perception algorithms inside can also reduce the performance and cost requirements for the domain controller within the vehicle, releasing their R&D investment pressure.

RoboSense MEMS-based LiDAR M1 uses 905nm lasers, boasting low cost, automotive grade, and compact size. Parts have been reduced from hundreds to dozens in comparison to traditional mechanical LiDARs, greatly reducing the cost and shortening production time—achieving a breakthrough in manufacturability. The coin-sized optical module processes the optical-mechanical system results to meet autonomous driving performance and mass production requirements.

In December, RoboSense’s LiDAR production line including RS-LiDAR-M1 has obtained the IATF 16949 certification in the automotive field, which now fully qualifies it to supply to automotive customers. As the winner of the CES Innovation Award in 2019 and 2020, RoboSense RS-LiDAR-M1 also demonstrated that it is the world’s first and only Smart LiDAR capable of real road tests on open roads at CES 2020.