Radar chip ‘sees’ both inside and outside the vehicle

The company’s single-chip imaging radar constructs a real-time, high-resolution 4D visualization of both in-cabin and car exterior environments through the acquisition of dynamic point clouds. A single chip point cloud can display the dimension, shape, location and movement of people and objects, enabling the complete classification of the car’s environment, regardless of bad lighting or harsh weather conditions.

In-cabin solutions include seat belt reminders, optimized airbag deployment, gesture control, driver drowsiness alerts, and infant detection alarms, even if the infant is covered by a blanket or hidden in a car seat or in the foot well. The company’s exterior systems map and classify the car’s surroundings to enable enhanced parking assistance, blind spot detection, lane switching assistance, automatic speed and distance control, and alerts for height obstacles, obstructions and more.

This latest advance in automotive radar capabilities is especially poignant in light of recent comments by Elon Musk on LIDAR and that Tesla has not plans to use the technology. One of the key issues facing LIDAR systems is cost and size. The advantage of LIDAR is its high accuracy. However, radar, when implemented on a chip, offers a more cost-effective approach and is capable of delivering a high degree of autonomous driving on its own. Radar is available now to develop autonomous systems, while the cost of LIDAR at the moment is holding back mass deployment.

“Today, existing radar systems do not deliver 4D point cloud capabilities. Vayyar is the first to close the gap between the robustness of radars and the resolution of LiDAR and optics. Our real-time, 4D point cloud system can work in any environmental condition and doesn’t compromise one’s privacy. We believe our sensors will create a shift in the way the automotive industry will use radar in the future,” said Ian Podkamien, Director of Automotive Business Development for Vayyar Imaging.