LiDAR News: Ouster, Velodyne

BusinessWire: Ouster introduces the OS1-32, said to be the world’s most affordable 32-channel lidar. "Higher resolution sensors at an affordable price are critical for moving computer vision from simple obstacle avoidance to more advanced perception, and for moving projects from R&D to commercial viability," says Ouster CEO and co-founder Angus Pacala. "The OS1-32 gives customers what they ask for the most: higher resolution at an affordable price."

OS1-32 is priced at $8,000 for commercial applications (with volume pricing available) and $6,000 for non-profit university research.

BusinessWire: Velodyne introduces Alpha Prime, the next generation lidar with surround view.

The Alpha Prime’s features include:

• Superior field-of-view: 360-degree surround view perception and a 40-degree vertical field-of-view.
• High resolution of 0.2° x 0.1°
• Long range:
  10% reflective targets >220m typical
  5% reflective targets >150m typical
  Ground plane hits >90m typical
• Outstanding performance in a wide variety of lighting conditions, including retro reflectors and sunlight mitigation.
• Exceptional detection of dark or low reflectance objects at long distances, such as tires, dark vehicles, low reflectivity pavement and low visibility pedestrians.
• Advanced negative obstacle perception, such as potholes and cracks in the road.
• The highest resolution along with robust reflectivity returns from over 4.8 million points per second, simplifying detection and tracking of vehicles, pedestrians and other obstructions.
• High resolution and laser calibration enable the sensor to easily localize vehicles — outdoors or indoors — without a GPS, for precise positioning.
• Improved efficiency for extended vehicle operating time within broad temperature and environmental ranges without the need for active cooling.
• Advanced sensor-to-sensor interference mitigation.
• Automotive mass production options from multiple sources for qualified programs.

“The Alpha Prime is a significant step forward in enabling the advancement of the autonomous vehicle and robot industries,” said Anand Gopalan, CTO, Velodyne Lidar. “With its breadth of best-in-class features, the Alpha Prime is a marked advancement in sensor performance for real world conditions. Here at Velodyne, we take pride in listening to our customers and delivering innovative and high-performance products. We believe Velodyne’s versatility and agility extend our leadership status in the lidar business to empower autonomous solutions on a global scale.”