Caterpillar taps Luminar’s lidar for self-driving construction equipment

Caterpillar is adding lidar to its heavy-duty operation instrumentality aft striking a woody with Luminar, which makes the laser sensor for a fig of automakers and self-driving car operators.

Caterpillar says it volition integrate Luminar’s hardware into its Cat Command autonomy platform, which it uses to powerfulness self-driving features successful its trucks and different vehicles. The Texas-based archetypal instrumentality shaper initially plans connected installing 2 lidar sensors successful its road trucks that are utilized for quarry operations.

Caterpillar describes itself arsenic a person successful self-driving operation instrumentality and has sold autonomous trucks connected 3 continents, which person traveled much than 207 cardinal miles and autonomously moved much than 9.3 cardinal tonnes.

“We’ve invested successful autonomy and automation for much than 30 years, and we’ve seen however it adds worth for our customers successful presumption of safety, productivity and efficiency,” said Jaime Mineart, main exertion serviceman and elder vice president of integrated components and solutions for caterpillar, successful a statement.

As autonomous rider vehicles acquisition their ups and downs, larger conveyance manufacturers are besides exploring ways successful which they tin use cutting borderline exertion to their industries. In summation to Caterpillar, John Deere is processing a scope of self-driving tractors and operation equipment. Autonomous excavators and mining instrumentality is besides being tested by assorted companies.

Equipment makers accidental they are funny successful autonomy arsenic a information solution, citing the precocious outgo of on-the-job injuries and deaths by workers progressive dense manufacture oregon construction. According to the CDC, the median outgo is $1.42 cardinal per fatality, which does not see spot damage, biology damage, oregon task docket delays.

The laser sensor, a cardinal constituent successful the suites utilized by astir autonomous vehicles, employs near-infrared airy to observe the shapes and distances of objects. Combined with camera images and different sensor data, lidar helps vehicles “see” different objects connected the road, similar cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, each without the assistance of GPS oregon a web connection.

Luminar says its Iris sensors are particularly bully astatine “seeing” done dense particulate and dirt, a effect of operating astatine a 1550nm wavelength versus 905nm similar astir LiDAR competitors. Luminar has emerged arsenic 1 of the more ambitious players in the volatile lidar industry. Even amid interior turmoil and fiscal uncertainty, Luminar has secured commitments from a fig of companies to acquisition its lidars. The institution has deals with Mercdes-Benz, Volvo, Audi, Toyota Research Institute, Intel’s Mobileye, Airbus, and 2 Chinese companies: automaker SAIC and AV relation Pony.ai.

The company, which has been shipping its next-generation laser sensors to Volvo, precocious adopted an “asset light” concern exemplary that volition spot much of its accumulation outsourced to its partners. As portion of the restructuring, Luminar laid disconnected 20 percent of its workforce.