Chinese tech giants Huawei, DJI jump on to the lidar bandwagon as they eye huge potential in self-driving cars
- Three Shenzhen-based tech firms – Huawei Technologies, DJI and RoboSense – expand presence in the lidar sensor segment as development of autonomous cars gathers pace in China
- The first cars fitted with lidar sensors from Huawei and DJI affiliate Livox were displayed at the recently concluded Shanghai car show
Lidar sensors, a critical technology for self-driving cars, has emerged as the new battleground for Chinese tech firms. At the forefront are three Shenzhen-based companies – Huawei Technologies, DJI and RoboSense – that are making their presence felt in the sector amid the rapid development of autonomous vehicles in the mainland.
“The use of lidar in level three to level five unmanned passenger vehicles has gradually become an industry standard,” Qiu said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
Founded in 2014, RoboSense, also known as Suteng Innovation Technology, is a pioneer in China, debuting its solid-state lidar at CES in Las Vegas, in 2018. More than 30 of the company’s 200 employees hold PhDs. Other leading players in China include Shanghai Hesai Photonics Technology and Shanghai Slamtic.
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Lidar – light detection and ranging – measures distance using laser beams to generate highly accurate 2D or 3D maps of the world outside the vehicle. The technology is also used in various industries from agriculture to advanced manufacturing. Lidar sensors are described as the “eyes” of autonomous driving.