For example, Google's self-driving car project, called Waymo, uses a mix of sensors, lidar (light detection and ranging -- a technology similar to RADAR) and cameras and combines all of the data those systems generate to identify everything around the vehicle and predict what those objects might do next. This happens in fractions of a second. Maturity is important for these systems. The more the system drives, the more data it can incorporate into its deep learning algorithms, enabling it to make more nuanced driving choices.
Waymo wants to sell lidar sensors, but not to self-driving car...
Each side has its own agenda: Musk wants to offer exciting technology to more people at a lower cost, and lidar companies want to sell their products. But while there are two starkly different views here, one thing that is clear is that fully autonomous vehicles will not be here on the timeline Musk is preaching, and, when they do arrive, they will need the safest technology available to satisfy regulators and consumers.
Finally, lidar has traditionally been very expensive -- the sensors required to outfit just one vehicle cost upwards of $75,000. However, Waymo says its team has cut the cost of its proprietary sensors down by 90% to only about $7,500. Waymo recently announced it will be selling its proprietary lidar sensors to select partners in the fields of robotics, security, and agricultural technology -- though not to its self-driving competitors. 2ff7e9595c
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