{"id":14126,"date":"2020-08-18T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=14126"},"modified":"2022-01-07T08:27:49","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T16:27:49","slug":"autonomous-driving-and-lidar-sensor-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/autonomous-driving-and-lidar-sensor-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Autonomous Driving and LIDAR Sensor Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Autonomous vehicles are swiftly taking the automotive world by storm. Recent years have seen major players such as Apple<\/a>, Google<\/a>, and Tesla<\/a> deploy test fleets across the United States. Smaller-yet-surging startups such as Argo AI<\/a> have joined the race as well, with Ford and Volkswagen\u2019s backing. Even Toyota has invested a sizable $400M<\/a> in Pony.ai, intending to revolutionize public transportation. Toyota funneled $500M<\/a> into an autonomous-driving project with Uber back in 2018.<\/p>\n

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These companies are exploring the next great frontier in automotive technology. Naturally, safety concerns have arisen in the wake of these projects. How are autonomous vehicles navigating the streets safely?<\/p>\n

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Autonomy Through LiDAR<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Manufacturers have outfitted their fleets with light detection and ranging, otherwise known as LiDAR. Each vehicle is equipped with a sensor that continually measures range and scans its surroundings for obstacles. This guidance system sends laser pulses<\/a>, which are reflected back to the vehicle\u2019s sensor. This provides a 3D mapping of streets, buildings, cars, and even pedestrians. For these reasons, LiDAR serves as \u201ceyesight\u201d for autonomous vehicles. An integrated GPS unit allows companies to remotely monitor location.<\/p>\n

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Range, Field of View, and Detection<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"autonomy-through-lidar\"<\/p>\n

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System ranges can vary, though most excel at short to medium range. Some can even survey the environment up to 500 meters away<\/a>. The technology holds a clear safety advantage over other radar systems, which tend to detect less accurately during turns. LiDAR doesn\u2019t suffer from this same shortcoming and is designed for both city and highway use.<\/p>\n

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These sensing platforms also boast varied fields of view. Higher-end systems possess the most significant vision (upward of 120 degrees or more), while cheaper alternatives may claim half. Furthermore, LiDAR units can scan upward to a small degree, with awareness improving as time passes.<\/p>\n

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Monitoring features vary by system, but LiDAR can detect the following:<\/p>\n

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