Velodyne unveils solid-state LiDAR for ADAS and autonomous vehicle

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. debuted its latest innovation the Velarray H800. The solid-state Velarray H800 is architected for automotive-grade performance and built using Velodyne’s breakthrough proprietary micro-lidar array architecture (MLA). With combined long-range perception and a broad field of view, this sensor is designed for safe navigation and collision avoidance in ADAS and autonomous mobility applications. The Velarray H800’s compact, the embeddable form factor is designed to fit neatly behind the windshield of a truck, bus or car, or be mounted seamlessly on the vehicle exterior. The Velarray H800 will be available at high-volume production levels with a target price of less than $500 to drive broad adoption in consumer and commercial vehicle markets.

The Velarray H800 can help automakers design ADAS solutions that help reduce traffic accidents as well as injuries and deaths of drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Velarray H800 boasts outstanding range, field of view and resolution to support advancements in autonomy and ADAS, from Level 2 to Level 5. This spans the entirety of ADAS features from Lane Keep Assist and Automated Emergency Braking, all the way to the top levels of automated driving. The compact, low cost sensor can be paired with Velodyne’s Vella software suite, enabling the full spectrum of safety features.

The efficacy of lidar in creating robust and feature-rich ADAS has been acknowledged across the auto industry in the past few years. Proprietary testing indicated superiority of the Velarray-based solution where a traditional camera and radar system failed. Please see Velodyne’s recently issued white paper regarding Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking (PAEB)

With a field of view of 120 horizontal degrees by 16 vertical degrees, the Velarray H800 allows for outstanding detection of peripheral, near-field, and overhead objects while addressing corner cases on sloping and curving roads. The Velarray H800 provides perception data at a range of up to 200 meters, supporting safe stopping distances even at highway speeds. Featuring a configurable frame rate, the Velarray H800 offers the rich point cloud density required for high resolution mapping and object classification tasks.

The Velarray H800 is Velodyne’s first new sensor to be launched since the company went public on September 30, 2020. The sensor kicks off the next generation of the company’s solid state lidar portfolio. It complements and leverages Velodyne’s expertise in innovating, building and delivering lidar technology.