The way light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) technology is presented in the media, one could be misled into believing its only viable use is in autonomous vehicles and other unmanned crafts. An understandable situation as most of the news out there involves LiDAR developments in the automotive arena. However, the technology, being a form of radar, is quite versatile and suits a rather wide range of applications.
Simply described, in operation, LiDAR measures distance between the ‘thing’ it’s installed in and a target of interest. Getting back in the car, a LiDAR system in the vehicle can measure the distance between the vehicle and what’s in front of it, like another car, pedestrian, or whatever the driver wants or doesn’t want to run over.
The LiDAR unit shines laser light on the target of interest. Light reflected from said target is received by a sensor. Using the differences in times of reflected laser beams, the system can form a 3D vision of the target. Obviously, this is highly useful in automotive applications, but what’s equally obvious is LiDAR’s viability in manufacturing and industrial automation.
The number of applications ripe for LiDAR and the benefits this technology can bring is impressive. One very easy way one could learn about these is to attend the session titled, “The Future of Automation: Taking LiDAR Sensors from R&D to Mass-Adoption”, that will be presented by Patrick Brunett, the Director of Business Development at Quanergy Systems Inc. Mr. Brunett will make his presentation at Sensors Midwest 2018 on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 1:00 PM. If you are involved in manufacturing and/or industrial automation applications of any kind as well as agriculture, law enforcement, military, aerospace, mining, security, law enforcement, military, robotics weather sensing, and the ever-popular autonomous vehicles, you can only benefit from attending this session.
According to Quanergy, LiDAR sensors have gained recognition for their use in self-driving cars, but is the technology ready for mass-adoption across industries? This session discusses the current state of LiDAR technology, and explains the difference between mechanical and solid-state LiDAR sensors. It then enumerates key considerations for adoption of LiDAR sensors in industrial, automotive, and smart city settings, and assesses the benefits and challenges of using mechanical and solid-state LiDAR sensors for each use case.
Patrick Brunett is the Director of Business Development at Quanergy Systems. He manages the company's Detroit office with a focus on the transportation and industrial markets. He has over 20 years in the automotive market with a focus on infotainment systems, power electronics for electric vehicles, and connected- and automated-vehicle technologies. Prior to joining Quanergy, he held senior and executive level sales, business development, and business unit leadership positions at companies such as Sony Electronics, Sirius Satellite Radio, Intelligent Mechatronics Systems, Panasonic, and Cohda Wireless.
Intellectual curiosity piqued? Anxious to learn more? Ready to acquire a wealth of knowledge beyond compute? Then get ready to do that simple two-step dance:
- Get down and register for Sensors Midwest 2018
- Attend Patrick’s session, “The Future of Automation: Taking LiDAR Sensors from R&D to Mass-Adoption”, at Sensors Midwest 2018 on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 1:00 PM.
Also, checkout the conference schedule for other great presentations as well as the list of notable exhibitors who will be introducing cutting-edge sensor and related technologies.
