Company:Velodyne LiDAR

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Velodyne Lidar
TypePrivate
NASDAQ: VLDR (planned)
IndustryLidar
Founded1983
HeadquartersSan Jose, California, United States
Key people
  • David Hall, Founder and Chairman[1]
  • Anand Gopalan, CEO[1]
  • Marta Thoma Hall, CMO[1]
  • Mike Jellen, CCO[2]
  • Rick Tewell, COO[1]
  • Drew Hamer, CFO[1]
  • Matt Rekow, CTO[1]
ProductsLidar
Number of employees
500[3] (2018)
Websitewww.velodynelidar.com

Velodyne Lidar is a Silicon Valley-based lidar technology company spun off from Velodyne Acoustics.[4] As of August 2016, the company worked with 25 self-driving car programs.[5] Velodyne Lidar ships sensors to mobility industry customers for testing and commercial use.[3]

History

David Hall founded Velodyne in 1983 as an audio company specializing in subwoofer technology.[2][6]

Velodyne's experience with laser distance measurement started in 2005, when David Hall and his brother Bruce (then president of Velodyne) entered a vehicle in a driverless car race called DARPA Grand Challenge sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).[7] The experience led them to realize shortcomings both in camera-centric approaches and in existing lidar technology, which only scanned a single, fixed line of sight.[8] Velodyne developed new sensors for the 2007 race. The brothers sold their perception detection system as a steering input to five of the six teams that finished the 2007 race. The system rotated 64 lasers and measured the time of flight to calculate distance of surrounding objects. This created a 360 degree 3D map of the environment.[9] The new system produced one million data points per second, while earlier systems produced 5,000 data points per second.[8]

A Velodyne HDL-64E, an HDL-32E, a Puck, and an Ultra Puck

Velodyne donated one of its early prototype sensors to the Robotics Collection at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in 2011.[10][11]

In 2016, Velodyne's Lidar department was spun off from Velodyne Acoustics as Velodyne Lidar, Inc.[12] On August 16, 2016, Velodyne announced a $150M investment from Ford and Baidu.[5] In 2017, the company opened their fully automated megafactory in San Jose, California, to speed up production while reducing the cost of sensors. Velodyne also has a production facility in Morgan Hill, California, and an R&D center in Alameda, California.[13]

In 2017, Velodyne provided their sensors as a sponsor of the SAE GM AutoDrive Challenge, a three-year competition in which eight university teams develop a Level 4 automated vehicle.[14]

In 2018, Velodyne partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in a campaign to advance autonomous vehicles for improving roadway safety and preventing impaired driving deaths.[15]

In October 2018, Velodyne organized the inaugural World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology. In the same year, the company also signed agreements to collaborate with Nikon and Veoneer for manufacturing and mass production.[16][17]

In January 2020, Hall announced he was stepping down as CEO in favor of Anand Gopalan, who was previously CTO.[18]

On July 2, 2020, Velodyne LiDAR announced that it would combine with Graf Industrial in order to become publicly tradable on NASDAQ with ticker VLDR,[19] c.f. reverse merger.

Technology

An Alpha Puck, Velarray, and VelaDome

Applications for Velodyne Lidar's technology include autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, mapping, security, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Velodyne's sensors have a range of up to 300 meters and can be used for immediate object detection without additional sensor fusion.[3][20] When in use on a moving vehicle, a Velodyne sensor can create a precise image of the road ahead, including detailed street signs and foliage.[21]

In April 2017, Velodyne announced Velarray, a sensor that produces a directional image rather than the surround view provided by previous sensors. The range, resolution, and field of view facilitate object detection, allowing for longer braking distance and increased safety. Designed for seamless vehicle integration, this compact sensor generates a detailed directional image, day or night. It can be concealed within roof lines, in bumpers and behind windshields.[22][23]

Also in 2017, the company introduced the Alpha Puck (previously known as VLS-128) sensor with a range of up to 300 meters.[24][25] This sensor is made for autonomous driving and advanced vehicle safety at highway speeds.[26]

In 2019, Velodyne introduced the VelaDome™, a compact embeddable lidar that provides a 180° x 180° image for near-object avoidance. The company also introduced Vella™, software that establishes the Velarray™ as an integral component for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).[27]

Partners and customers

Velodyne Lidar Alpha Puck on a Voyage vehicle

In 2010, Google (now Alphabet) began testing self-driving cars on the streets in the San Francisco Bay Area using Velodyne's Lidar technology.[28] Alphabet's first self-driving car prototype (built on Toyota's Prius model) used Velodyne's HDL-64E lidar sensor.[29] Since then, Alphabet has stopped using Velodyne sensors in its vehicles.[30]

In 2012, Velodyne Lidar signed a contract with Caterpillar for a supply of lidar sensors to be used for off-road vehicles.[31] These sensors help Caterpillar map quarries, farms and work sites during construction.[32]

In 2012 through 2015, Velodyne's spinning HDL-32E sensors have been seen on mobile mapping vehicles by Nokia Here,[33] Microsoft Bing Maps,[34] Tencent,[35] Baidu, and TomTom.[36] Leading mapping providers like Topcon[37] and Leica Geosystems[38] also use Velodyne's scanners for their turnkey mobile solutions.

In 2016, Ford Motor Company announced that it will expand its fleet of self-driving R&D vehicles and use Velodyne Lidar's Ultra Puck sensors.[29][39][40]

In 2017, Velodyne partnered with Renovo as Reference Lidar provider for AWare automated mobility operating system[41] and with Mercedes-Benz for a Perception System Contract.[42]

In 2018, the company partnered with Embark,[43] Geodetics,[44] Voyage,[45] Exyn Technologies,[46] Yellowscan,[47] Phoenix LiDAR,[48] NAVYA,[49] ThorDrive[50] and Postmates.[51] Velodyne Lidar also partnered with Nikon as a new strategic investor with an investment of $25M.[52]

Models

Name HDL-64E HDL-32E Puck Puck Lite Puck Hi-Res Ultra Puck Alpha Puck
Model HDL-64E[53] HDL-32E[54] VLP-16[55] VLP-16 LW[56] VLP-16 Hi-Res[57] VLP-32C[58] VLS-128
Announced August 2007 November 2010 November 2014 February 2016 September 2016 April 2016 November 2017
Channels 64 32 16 16 16 32 128
Range 120 m 100 m 100 m 100 m 100 m 200 m 300 m
Accuracy ±2 cm ±2 cm ±3 cm ±3 cm ±3 cm ±3 cm
Field of View (Vertical) +2.0° to -24.9° +10.67° to 30.67° +15.0° to -15.0° +15.0° to -15.0° +10.0° to -10.0° +15.0° to -25.0° +15.0° to -25.0°
Angular Resolution (Vertical) 0.4° 1.33° 2.0° 2.0° 1.33° 0.33° 0.11°
Field of View (Horizontal) 360° 360° 360° 360° 360° 360° 360°
Angular Resolution (Horizontal) 0.08°-0.35° 0.1°-0.4° 0.1°-0.4° 0.1°-0.4° 0.1°-0.4° 0.1°-0.4° 0.1°-0.4°
Rotation Rate 5–20 Hz 5–20 Hz 5–20 Hz 5–20 Hz 5–20 Hz 5–20 Hz
Data Points Per Second 1,300,000 (single)

2,200,000 (dual)

695,000 (single)

1,390,000 (dual)

300,000 (single)

600,000 (dual)

300,000 (single)

600,000 (dual)

300,000 (single)

600,000 (dual)

600,000 (single)

1,200,000 (dual)

2,400,000 (single)

4,800,000 (dual) 9,600,000 (quadruple)

Power 60 watt 12 watt 8 watt 8 watt 8 watt 10 watt
Weight 12.7 kg 1.0 kg 830 g 590 g 830 g 925 g
Diameter 215 mm 85 mm 103 mm 103 mm 103 mm 103 mm
Height 283 mm 144 mm 72 mm 72 mm 72 mm 87 mm

Awards and recognition

  • In 2015, Frost & Sullivan gave Velodyne's VLP-16 sensor the North American Automotive ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) Sensors Product Leadership Award[59]
  • In 2017, Velodyne Lidar was an Honoree at the CES Innovation Awards, Drones & Unmanned Systems, for the Puck Lite[60]
  • In 2017, Velodyne was recognized as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Transportation[61]
  • In 2018, Velodyne Lidar was selected as “Industry Choice Company of the Year” by a panel of industry expert judges at the TU-Automotive Detroit Conference[62]
  • In 2018, Velodyne was honored with East Bay Innovation Awards in the Engineering & Design Category[63]
  • In 2018, the Ultra Puck won the silver 2018 Edison Award for Autonomous Vehicle Technology[64]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Velodyne's Management". https://velodynelidar.com/management.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Management". http://velodynelidar.com/management.html. Retrieved 24 March 2017. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Brooke, Lindsay. "LiDAR Giant". Autonomous Vehicle Engineering. http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sae/ave_201810/index.php#/8. Retrieved 6 October 2018. 
  4. ↑ Snavely, Brent (28 August 2016). "Tech firm Velodyne moves from audio to self-driving cars". Detroit Free Press (USA Today). https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/08/28/tech-firm-velodyne-moves-audio-self-driving-cars/89525612/. Retrieved 29 March 2017. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ford, Baidu bet $150M on Velodyne laser radar". https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/08/16/ford-baidu-bet-150m-velodyne-laser-radar/88813028/. 
  6. ↑ Snavely, Brent (16 August 2016). "Ford to double Silicon Valley presence; invests $75M". Detroit Free Press (USA Today). http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2016/08/16/ford-silicon-valley-velodyne-self-driving-cars/88810184/. Retrieved 24 March 2017. 
  7. ↑ Loughlin, Ryan. "How a Bunch of Geeks and Dreamers Jump-Started the Self-Driving Car". Wired. https://video.wired.com/watch/how-a-bunch-of-geeks-and-dreamers-jump-started-the-self-driving-car. Retrieved 10 November 2017. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Engines of change". 2007. http://gcn.com/articles/2007/08/03/engines-of-change.aspx. 
  9. ↑ "Robots, start your engines". http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Robots-start-your-engines-3236937.php. 
  10. ↑ Williams, Martyn (8 July 2013). "Driverless cars yield to reality: It's a long road ahead". PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2043878/driverless-cars-yield-to-reality-its-a-long-road-ahead.html. Retrieved 1 May 2017. 
  11. ↑ Wiley, Kate (5 April 2011). "Smithsonian Adds to Robotics Collection and Invites Public to National Robotics Week Activities in Spark!Lab". Smithsonian Institution. http://invention.si.edu/about/news/smithsonian-adds-robotics-collection-and-invites-public-national-robotics-week-activities. Retrieved 1 May 2017. 
  12. ↑ "Business Search". https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=CORP&SearchCriteria=velodyne&SearchSubType=Keyword. Retrieved 1 May 2017. 
  13. ↑ Ohnsman, Alan. "How A 34-Year-Old Audio Equipment Company Is Leading The Self-Driving Car Revolution". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2017/08/08/how-a-34-year-old-audio-equipment-company-is-leading-the-self-driving-car-revolution/#c1aacd65d406. Retrieved 5 September 2017. 
  14. ↑ Nguyen, Johnny. "David Hall: A Driving Force in the Industry". Medium.com. https://medium.com/@johnny123ng/david-hall-a-driving-force-in-the-industry-5d851261a869. Retrieved 7 July 2018. 
  15. ↑ Madd. "Partner Spotlight: Velodyne LiDAR and the Future of Automated Cars". https://www.madd.org/blog/velodyne-lidar-autonomous-vehicle-technology/. Retrieved 20 February 2018. 
  16. ↑ Niedermeyer, Edward. "Velodyne-Veoneer Deal Shows Lidar Is Getting Serious". The Drive. http://www.thedrive.com/tech/25986/velodyne-veoneer-deal-shows-lidar-is-getting-serious. Retrieved 16 January 2019. 
  17. ↑ Mills, Keith. "Nikon Invests In 3D Lidar". Metrology News. http://metrology.news/nikon-invests-in-3d-lidar. Retrieved 2 January 2019. 
  18. ↑ Ohnsman, Alan. "Lidar Pioneer Velodyne Debuts $100 Auto Safety Sensor As Self-Driving Cars’ Pace To Market Slows". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2020/01/07/lidar-pioneer-velodyne-debuts-100-auto-safety-sensor-as-self-driving-cars-pace-to-market-slows/#72701dc6cbc2. Retrieved 8 January 2020. 
  19. ↑ https://velodynelidar.com/blog/graf-and-velodyne-lidar-announcement/
  20. ↑ Zhi Yan, Tom Duckett, and Nicola Bellotto. "Online Learning for Human Classification in 3D LiDAR-based Tracking". https://yzrobot.github.io/publications/yz17iros.pdf. Retrieved 4 April 2019. 
  21. ↑ Cunningham, Wayne (19 December 2016). "How lasers map the world for self-driving cars". Roadshow (CNET). https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/how-lasers-map-the-world-for-self-driving-cars/. Retrieved 26 June 2017. 
  22. ↑ "Velodyne Lidar to showcase a wide array of products at CES 2019". Safe Car News. https://safecarnews.com/velodyne-lidar-to-showcase-a-wide-array-of-products-at-ces-2019/. Retrieved 4 January 2019. 
  23. ↑ "Velodyne Lidar to introduce new sensor technology at CES in Las Vegas". Business Recorder. https://fp.brecorder.com/2019/01/20190107437807/. Retrieved 7 January 2019. 
  24. ↑ Popper, Ben. "Velodyne’s latest LIDAR lets driverless cars handle high-speed situations". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/29/16705674/velodyne-lidar-128-autonomous-vehicles-driverless-cars. Retrieved 29 November 2017. 
  25. ↑ Trego, Linda. "Renovo brings LiDAR sensor from Velodyne to AWare automated mobility ecosystem". Autonomous Vehicle Technology. http://digitaladmin.bnpmedia.com/publication/?i=525925&ver=html5&p=1#{%22page%22:24,%22issue_id%22:525925}. 
  26. ↑ "Velodyne Lidar to showcase a wide array of products at CES 2019". Safe Car News. https://safecarnews.com/velodyne-lidar-to-showcase-a-wide-array-of-products-at-ces-2019/. Retrieved 4 January 2019. 
  27. ↑ "CES 2019: Velodyne Lidar technology for autonomy and driver assistance". https://www.novuslight.com/ces-2019-velodyne-lidar-technology-for-autonomy-and-driver-assistance_N8863.html. Retrieved 9 January 2019. 
  28. ↑ Guizzo, Erico (2011-10-18). "How Google's Self-Driving Car Works". https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/how-google-self-driving-car-works. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Google’s Waymo invests in LIDAR technology, cuts costs by 90 percent". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/01/googles-waymo-invests-in-lidar-technology-cuts-costs-by-90-percent/. 
  30. ↑ Amadeo, Ron. "Google’s Waymo invests in LIDAR technology, cuts costs by 90 percent". Ars Technica (9 January 2017). https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/01/googles-waymo-invests-in-lidar-technology-cuts-costs-by-90-percent/. Retrieved 26 June 2017. 
  31. ↑ "Velodyne's LiDAR Division Announces Agreement With Caterpillar for Laser Imaging Technology | Virtual-Strategy Magazine". http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/08/07/velodynes-lidar-division-announces-agreement-caterpillar-laser-imaging-technology. 
  32. ↑ Morra, James (22 August 2016). "Velodyne Funding Highlights Lidar’s Role in Driverless Cars". Electronic Design. http://electronicdesign.com/iot/velodyne-funding-highlights-lidar-s-role-driverless-cars. Retrieved 29 March 2017. 
  33. ↑ http://photos.mercurynews.com/2015/07/28/photos-here-a-nokia-company-has-global-fleet-of-cars-for-3d-street-mapping/#1
  34. ↑ "Velodyne LiDAR to Provide HDL-32E Sensor for Bing Maps Imagery | SPAR 3D" (in en-US). 2014-10-28. http://www.sparpointgroup.com/news/vol12no43-velodyne-lidar-to-provide-hdl32e-for-bing-maps. 
  35. ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem" (in en-US). https://www.techinasia.com/tencent-maps-covers-china-street-view/. 
  36. ↑ Kastrenakes, Jacob (2015-07-27). "TomTom is now making maps for autonomous vehicles". https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/27/9048027/tomtom-bosch-autonomous-vehicle-mapping. 
  37. ↑ https://www.topconpositioning.com/news-events/news/product-news/topcon-announces-next-generation-3-d-mobile-mapping-system
  38. ↑ "Pegasus:Backpack, Leica's Wearable Scanner | SPAR 3D" (in en-US). 2015-06-03. http://www.sparpointgroup.com/news/vol13no22-pegasus-backpack-leicas-wearable-scanner. 
  39. ↑ "Ford Tripling Autonomous Vehicle Development Fleet, Accelerating On-Road Testing of Sensors and Software | Ford Media Center". https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2016/01/05/ford-tripling-autonomous-vehicle-development-fleet--accelerating.html. 
  40. ↑ "A breakthrough in miniaturising lidars for autonomous driving". https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21712103-new-chips-will-cut-cost-laser-scanning-breakthrough-miniaturising. 
  41. ↑ "Renovo selects Velodyne as Reference LiDAR provider for AWare automated mobility operating system". Medium (website). https://medium.com/renovo-auto-blog/renovo-selects-velodyne-as-reference-lidar-provider-for-aware-automated-mobility-operating-system-f8001b91c6c. Retrieved 14 November 2017. 
  42. ↑ "Velodyne LiDAR awarded Perception System Contract from Mercedes-Benz". The Hindu Business Line. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/business-wire/velodyne-lidar-awarded-perception-system-contract-from-mercedesbenz/article9856916.ece. Retrieved 13 September 2017. 
  43. ↑ Ohnsman, Alan. "Robot Truck Upstart Embark Hauls In $30 Million To Take On Waymo And Uber". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2018/07/19/robot-truck-upstart-embark-hauls-in-30-million-to-take-on-waymo-uber/#62b4d9074aee. Retrieved 19 July 2018. 
  44. ↑ Newsdesk team, Geospatial Media. "San Diego researchers track changes in San Andreas fault with Geodetics mobile mapping and Velodyne LiDAR Technology". Geospatial World. https://www.geospatialworld.net/news/san-diego-researchers-track-changes-in-san-andreas-fault/. Retrieved 21 June 2018. 
  45. ↑ Shieh, Joseph. "Voyage Partners With Velodyne for Self-Driving Sensors". Silicon Valley Daily. http://svdaily.com/voyage-partners-with-velodyne-for-self-driving-sensors/. Retrieved 19 June 2018. 
  46. ↑ "Exyn Technologies". Crunchbase. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/exyn-technologies#section-recent-news-activity. 
  47. ↑ Cozzens, Tracy. "Latest YellowScan lidar system designed for UAV surveys". GPS World. https://www.gpsworld.com/latest-yellowscan-lidar-system-designed-for-uav-surveys/;. Retrieved 3 April 2018. 
  48. ↑ Dirjish, Mathew. "Wild Idea Transforms Aerial Mapping Industry". Sensors Magazine. https://www.sensorsmag.com/components/wild-idea-transforms-aerial-mapping-industry. Retrieved 1 February 2018. 
  49. ↑ Dennehy, Kevin. "LiDAR Presence Growing at CES". Inside Unmanned Systems. http://insideunmannedsystems.com/lidar-presence-growing-ces/;. Retrieved 23 January 2018. 
  50. ↑ Lekach, Sasha. "Another self-driving car service arrives to deliver hardware store supplies". Mashable. https://mashable.com/article/self-driving-delivery-van-hardware-thordrive/#J0VIcY8rBsqK. Retrieved 30 November 2018. 
  51. ↑ Constine, Josh. "Postmates unveils Serve, a friendlier autonomous delivery robot". Techcrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/13/postmates-robot-serve/. 
  52. ↑ Rees, Mike. "Velodyne Lidar Partners with Nikon for Autonomous Vision". Unmanned Systems Technology. https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2018/12/velodyne-lidar-partners-with-nikon-for-autonomous-vision/. Retrieved 31 December 2018. 
  53. ↑ "HDL-64E" (in en). http://velodynelidar.com/hdl-64e.html. 
  54. ↑ "HDL-32E" (in en). http://velodynelidar.com/hdl-32e.html. 
  55. ↑ "VLP-16" (in en). http://velodynelidar.com/vlp-16.html. 
  56. ↑ "VLP-16 (Puck LITE)" (in en). http://velodynelidar.com/vlp-16-lite.html. 
  57. ↑ "VLP-16 (Puck Hi-Res)" (in en). http://velodynelidar.com/vlp-16-hi-res.html. 
  58. ↑ "VLP-32C" (in en). http://velodynelidar.com/vlp-32c.html. 
  59. ↑ "Frost & Sullivan Awards CyPhy Investor, Velodyne LiDAR :: Unmanned Aerial Online". http://unmanned-aerial.com/frost-amp-sullivan-awards-cyphy-investor-velodyne-lidar/. 
  60. ↑ "CES 2017 Innovation Awards - 2017 - Drones and Unmanned Systems". https://www.ces.tech/Events-Programs/Innovation-Awards/Honorees.aspx. 
  61. ↑ "Most Innovative Companies - 2017". https://www.fastcompany.com/company/velodyne. 
  62. ↑ "The TU Automotive Awards 2018". https://automotive.knect365.com/tu-auto-detroit/awards. 
  63. ↑ "Winners Announced For Top East Bay Innovators". https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Winners-Announced-For-Top-East-Bay-Innovators-12793272.php. Retrieved March 30, 2018. 
  64. ↑ "2018 Edison Best News Product Awards™ Winners". http://www.edisonawards.com/winners2018.php. 




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