Ford-backed Argo AI, a self-driving technology company, has recently been making massive strides in the development of commercial autonomous vehicles in recent years. Earlier this week, Argo AI announced that they have developed an all-new Lidar sensor, which they believe could seriously change the game.
Argo AI says the new sensoris capable of “seeing'' as far as 437 yards (400 meters) ahead, with detail that borders on photographic. This level of ability would mean that autonomous vehicles could potentially operate safely at speeds upwards of 65 miles per hour. Currently, Lidar sensors are only capable of seeing roughly 300 yards ahead, making this new sensor a truly significant development.
Some self-driving experimental vehicles currently rely on the use of cameras instead of sensors. While these vehicles are capable of seeing further (up to 1,000 meters or more), they are particularly susceptible to weather and lighting conditions, with many of them struggling to detect black or dark-colored vehicles and objects.
Argo AI’s Lidar sensors rely on a detection software known as “Geiger mode” that allows its autonomous vehicles to detect particles as small as a single photon. This means that Argo AI’s self-driving vehicles are capable of identifying dark-colored images that are up to four football fields away.
Argo’s new Lidar sensor will be used in Ford’s commercial self-driving vehicles when this service officially launches in 2022.
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