Sign a multi-year production contract! The two companies are eyeing industrial-grade 3D liDAR sensors

Lumotive, a Seattle-based developer of solid-state lidar systems, has signed a multi-year production contract with Hokuyo Automatic, a global developer of sensor and automation technology. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The collaboration will accelerate the deployment of key sensor technologies for robotics and autonomous systems applications. Using Lumotive's solid-state LCM optical semiconductor beam-guiding chip, Hokuyo is preparing to produce a 3D liDAR sensor based on Lumotive's M30 reference design, which is targeted for industrial applications.

The planned new products "are expected to go beyond traditional mechanical lidar and time-of-flight camera technologies to facilitate advances in autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and other industrial applications." Hokuyo is leveraging Lumotive's manufacturing partners and engineering expertise to bring its sensing products to market faster.

Hokuyo manufactures sensors for industrial automation, including Lidar sensors for robotics, material handling and other industrial automation applications. The company said it chose Lumotive's LCM technology because of its digital beam guiding capability, which allows the company to produce 3D sensing solutions that are more accurate, reliable, and cost-effective than existing products.

Lumotive's technology is based on proven semiconductor manufacturing techniques and provides the world's first solid state metasurface beam steering chip ready for mass production. The company claims that its LCM chip achieves miniaturization, low cost, and higher reliability compared to existing scanning liDAR solutions. This chip is expected to provide significant application advantages for a wide range of applications in key industries including consumer electronics, industrial automation and autonomous vehicles.

The large field of view, ultra-wide extended range of Lumotive solid-state 3D LiDAR sensors exists in a compact form that seamlessly integrates into a variety of machinery, from robots to delivery systems. Software-defined scanning modes allow for customization of specific tasks, such as accurate object tracking on a production line or efficient navigation of AMR. The system minimizes interference and multipath effects, resulting in better point cloud quality, which is critical for accurate sensing in complex industrial environments.

Hitoshi Ozaki, President of Hokuyo, commented: "We believe Lumotive's LCM optical semiconductor technology will be a game changer in the industrial automation market. It offers a new level of miniaturization, performance and reliability that will allow us to expand our business with 3D sensing solutions that are not possible with traditional liDAR scanning technology." We look forward to working with Lumotive to bring these solutions to market."

Dr. Sam Heidari, CEO of Lumotive, said: "Together with Hokuyo Automatic, we are eager to integrate our LCM technology into our first industrial automation application. Hokuyo automation's expertise in industrial automation and sensor technology makes them the ideal partner to accelerate the adoption of our breakthrough LCM semiconductor technology. This production supply agreement marks an important milestone for Lumotive as we bring advanced 3D sensing solutions to the robotics and automation systems market."

Source: OFweek