Podcasts · The Hardware Podcast with Fexingo: Chips, Devices, and Electronics Engineering Conversations
How Chips Use On-Chip Lidar for Autonomous Navigation
· 8:55 · S3 E118
Episode How Chips Use On-Chip Lidar for Autonomous Navigation
This episode dives into the integration of lidar directly onto silicon chips, a breakthrough that could make autonomous navigation cheaper and smaller. Lucas explains how researchers at MIT and the University of California, Berkeley have fabricated solid-state beam-steering arrays on CMOS chips, replacing the bulky rotating lasers used in self-driving cars. Luna asks about the key technical challenge: achieving a wide field of view without moving parts. They discuss the use of optical phased arrays and the current limitations in range and resolution. The conversation also touches on potential applications beyond cars—drones, robotics, and even smartphone depth sensing. Lucas shares a specific milestone: a prototype chip that achieved a 70-degree field of view with centimeter-level accuracy at 10 meters. The episode closes on the question of when this technology might hit consumer products, with Lucas estimating three to five years for specialized industrial use, and longer for automotive.
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Transcript
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