Sense Photonics Raises $26M in A-Round

PRNewswire, Techcrunch: San Francisco-based flash LiDAR developer Sense Photonics raises $26M in A-round. The company's CEO and co-founder Scott Burroughs says “It starts with the laser emitter. We have some secret sauce that lets us build a massive array of lasers — literally thousands and thousands, spread apart for better thermal performance and eye safety.

We can go as high as 90 degrees for vert which i think is unprecedented, and as high as 180 degrees for horizontal. And that’s something auto makers we’ve talked to have been very excited about.”

The second innovation is "the sensor, normally part and parcel with the lidar unit, can exist totally separately from the emitter, and is little more than a specialized camera. That means that while the emitter can be integrated into a curved surface like the headlight assembly, while the tiny detectors can be stuck in places where there are already traditional cameras: side mirrors, bumpers, and so on.

The camera-like architecture is more than convenient for placement; it also fundamentally affects the way the system reconstructs the image of its surroundings. Because the sensor they use is so close to an ordinary RGB camera’s, images from the former can be matched to the latter very easily.

Our LiDAR system operates similarly to a camera by using a solid-state, high-powered, laser emitter coupled with a solid-state sensor with many pixels. Our system does not scan in any way—no spinning, no rotating mirrors, no pivoting MEMS mirrors—no mechanical movement of any kind.

Solid-state technology simplifies manufacturing, enhances reliability and eliminates concerns about vibrations or recalibration during the product’s lifetime."