Velodyne Acoustics - Lidar

Lidar

Velodyne Lidar is a Silicon Valley-based company, specializing in laser imaging technology. The company evolved after founder and inventor, David Hall, competed in the 2004-05 DARPA Grand Challenge utilizing stereo-vision technology. Based on his experience during this challenge, David Hall recognized the limitations of stereo-vision and developed the high-resolution Lidar sensor.

History Velodyne's experience with laser distance measurement started in the 2005 with the DARPA Grand Challenge sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). A race for autonomous vehicles across the Mojave desert, DARPA's goal was to stimulate autonomous vehicle technology development for both military and commercial applications. Velodyne founders David and Bruce Hall entered the competition as Team DAD (Digital Audio Drive), traveling 6.2 miles in the first event and 25 miles in the second. Team DAD developed technology for visualizing the environment, first using a dual video camera approach and later developing the laser-based system that laid the foundation for Velodyne's current products. The first Velodyne Lidar scanner was about 30 inches in diameter and weighed close to 100 lbs. Choosing to commercialize the Lidar scanner instead of competing in subsequent challenge events, Velodyne was able to dramatically reduce the sensor's size and weight while also improving performance. Velodyne's HDL-64E Lidar sensor was the primary means of terrain map construction and obstacle detection for all the top DARPA Urban Challenge teams in 2007 and used by five out of six of the finishing teams, including the winning and second place teams. Some teams relied exclusively on the Lidar for the information about the environment used to navigate an autonomous vehicle through a simulated urban environment.

In 2011, Google tested self-driving cars on the streets in the Bay Area, using Velodyne’s Lidar technology. A year later, Velodyne Lidar Division signed a major contract with Caterpillar for the supply of Lidars to be used for off-road vehicles.

Velodyne Lidar sensors are currently on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. in the museum’s permanent robotics collection.