Lidar, cameras, action: not all cars see the same
NEW YORK, March 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — People have been dreaming about self-driving cars for nearly as long as cars have been around, arguably even longer when considering da Vinci’s vision back in the 1500s. While the reality of fully autonomous vehicles remains in small pilot trials today, the industry is advancing in leaps and bounds as engineers add features and functionality by marrying leading edge technologies, including lidar, radar and cameras to help a car “see” and “react.” As with any other new tech, the new sensors are getting smaller and more accurate while dropping in price, factors that facilitate scalability for autonomous driving features from only a few high-end vehicle models to mass market vehicles. Leading the charge towards safe self-driving cars is Cepton Inc. (NASDAQ: CPTN) (Profile), a maker of lidar (an acronym for “light detection and ranging”) products that are being incorporated by some of the world’s biggest auto makers, including GM’s vaunted Ultra Cruise program that will allow hands-free driving on more roads in North America than ever before. It appears evident that autonomous vehicles will become mainstream, which has automakers and tech firms alike, including QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), Aptiv PLC (NYSE: APTV), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), hustling to secure a share in the burgeoning mobility market.