"Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes lidar is a "fool's errand." A former Tesla engineer, Eric Aguilar, cofounded an entire company to perfect it. His bet: all robots - whether vehicular or humanoid - will need lidar to see. Lidar is a sensor that uses laser light to detect the distance of objects. Historically, the sensor has been used for mapping, but in recent years, it's become an extra set of eyes for self-driving cars, including Waymo's robotaxis."
"Aguilar cofounded Omnitron Sensors in 2019 and serves as CEO. He has worked with sensors for over 20 years, at Google X's drone delivery project, Tesla, and Argo AI, a robotaxi venture backed by Ford and Volkswagen, before it shut down in 2022. When Musk moved to forgo lidar, Aguilar, an electrical engineer by training, understood some of the Tesla CEO's misgivings about the sensor. They can be costly and not built as efficiently as they could be, Aguilar says."
"With Omnitron, he aims to make lidar both more affordable and durable by utilizing silicon and the semiconductor manufacturing process to produce the components inside the sensor at scale. "This is what will unlock the market," he told Business Insider. "This is what will open up the market to get companies like Mercedes and GM to buy lidars and put them in their vehicles.""
Eric Aguilar left Tesla and cofounded Omnitron Sensors in 2019 to improve lidar affordability and durability. Aguilar has over 20 years of sensor experience at Google X, Tesla, and Argo AI. Elon Musk labeled lidar a "fool's errand," but Aguilar believes lidar will be essential for vehicular and humanoid robots. Lidar uses laser light and rotating mirrors to measure distances and has evolved from mapping to serving as an extra set of eyes for self-driving cars such as Waymo's robotaxis. Omnitron plans to use silicon and semiconductor manufacturing to scale production and reduce costs, aiming to unlock broader automotive adoption.
Read at Business Insider
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