In order to help the development of autonomous driving technology, some manufacturers turned their attention to an old technology that came out in the 1980s - laser radar. According to reports, Pioneer plans to test a new laser radar (light detection and measurement, LIDAR for short) system that can help autopilot cars scan the world around them. In research and development, the company even referred to its experience in producing laser discs (LaserDisc) decades ago.
Laser discs are a popular video storage media medium in the 1980s and 1990s, mainly used to store movies. It is very similar to the DVD that was subsequently replaced, but the size is much larger.
At present, technology companies such as Google have begun to use LIDAR technology to give auto-driving cars the ability to observe, but the related functional components are very costly. It is reported that the cost of the roof LIDAR sensor is almost equivalent to the car itself, between 2.5-7 million US dollars (about 159-440,000 yuan). However, Pioneer's products are expected to be much cheaper.
Pioneer set out to develop laser radar technology to cut costs
According to reports, Pioneer's LIDAR device utilizes the optical head originally used to scan laser discs, so the cost is greatly reduced. Pioneer said they hope to reduce the cost of the component to $85 in 2025 (about RMB 540).
Laser scanning can bring many benefits to autonomous vehicles. By reading the laser reflection, the computer can determine the shape and position of the object with high precision. They can even detect painted lane markings, potholes and road grades. These abilities become very important when a driverless car is actually driving onto the street.
Pioneer has already completed the development of the prototype, and the evaluation is expected to begin next year. They will recruit a digital map company to test their products and hope to bring them to market in 2017. And by 2018, Pioneer intends to develop a self-driving car like Google.
While laser technology can benefit auto-driving cars, computers still need to know where their destinations are and how they arrive. To solve this problem, Pioneer is also developing a cloud-based navigation program that aggregates measurement data from LIDAR vehicles to provide relevant information. In other words, they plan to build a map service in a crowdsourced manner. Like the LIDAR system, Pioneer hopes to improve the project in 2018.
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