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| Airbus is testing LiDAR technology to make flying safer |
Luminar expanded the LiDAR system beyond autonomous vehicles for the first time and has worked with the world's largest aircraft manufacturer to take laser guidance and visualization technology to a new level.
Luminar has announced a partnership with Airbus to provide 3D laser-guided mapping technology for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to improve flight safety.
The LiDAR system is a laser sensor that emits millions of laser points per second and measures the time taken to recoil, which is seen as an important part of autonomous driving.
Engineers from the two companies are working on two innovation-driven projects for aircraft manufacturers UpNext and FlightLab.
Luminar and Airbus hope to achieve the best safe and independent flight with the LiDAR system.
“We can directly reapply our achievements to the aerospace industry, which is a mature industry valued at nearly a trillion dollars,” said the founder and CEO of Luminar.
"More than 10% of helicopter crashes can be avoided by landing on things like electrical cables," he added.
Airbus is testing takeoff and landing technology for Atoll taxis via UpNext.
He said it had completed a fully autonomous test flight in 2020, and the company will likely use LiDAR systems to drive taxis, helicopters and planes.
Luminar and Airbus hope to use LiDAR to improve the safety of existing aircraft and believe its technology can help pilots avoid certain accidents.
In partnership with a number of well-known automakers, Luminar and Airbus will start selling cars with additional LiDAR components next year so they can drive completely autonomously on the highways.
Luminar has also entered into agreements with the truck divisions of Audi, Toyota, Mobileye and Daimler, which have already invested in the company.
In addition to manufacturing giant passenger jets, Airbus is also interested in small battery-powered taxis, known as urban aviation. These are small helicopters with electric motors that can be used for short distances in cities.