Image source: Audi.com
Audi (which is part of the huge Volkswagen Group), is about to expand its business, entering a new market. The company this week announced plans to spend a whopping $16 billion on self-driving technology through 2023. A big part of this huge investment will be spent on Autonomous Intelligent Driving, a division of luxury automaker Audi.
Founded a year ago, Autonomous Intelligent Driving unit (AID) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the German-based Audi AG. It is based in Munich, Germany and currently has 12 autonomous vehicles operating on roads. AID plays a crucial role as the main autonomous technology partner for all Volkswagen Group brands, which include Audi, Porsche, and VW.
Like most of the autonomous vehicle programs in the market, AID uses software and machine learning technology to process all the sensing data collected by sensors, which include the camera, radar, and LiDAR point clouds.
Audi teams up with LiDAR specialist to boost self-driving capability
The German company this week made a huge headline when it announced a partnership with LiDAR startup Luminar Technologies. The two will work on developing self-driving technology for Audi vehicles. As part of the newly announced partnership with Audi, the LiDAR startup will provide the required technology and resources for the planned Audi self-driving vehicles, which the German automaker hopes to hit the road by 2021.
Luminar is a Palo Alto-based startup that specializes in LiDAR technology. The company makes LiDAR sensors and software for autonomous vehicles. The startup claims that it has developed a more advanced LiDAR technology, a solid-state LiDAR with up to 50 times the resolution and 10 times the range of its rivals.
LiDAR, the laser sensor, is considered by many tech pundits as a key ingredient to autonomous driving technology. When combined with other sensors, LiDAR may acts as the eyes of an autonomous car, detecting anything on the road.
This is not the first time Luminar has teamed up with a big automaker. The company has already supplied LiDAR technology to global brands such as Volvo and Toyota. The partnership is expected to boost Audi’s self-driving program, providing Audi with forward-facing high-resolution and long-range LiDAR technology.
Source: Future Car