Ouster releases REV8 OS native color lidar family

Sensor and perception for physical AI company Ouster announced the launch of its new family of OS digital lidar sensors, Rev8, powered by its next-generation L4 Ouster Silicon.

Ouster said that Rev8 features the world’s first patented native color lidar sensors, provides up to double the range and resolution of the previous generation, and is designed for functional safety, reliability, affordability and scale.

L4 Ouster Silicon details

Ouster said that its L4 architecture doubles the range and resolution of its lidar over the prior generation, adds native-color sensing, and is designed for functional safety. Based on patented Ouster Silicon with embedded Fujifilm color science, the company said that the L4 chip results in exquisite color data and hardware-enabled HDR.

The company provided the following technical details of the L4 Ouster Silicon:

• 42.9 GMACs of processing power
• Up to 20 trillion photons per second of detection
• 40 kHz measurement rate with picosecond timing precision
• Capable of processing up to 10.4 million points per second and 22.4 gigabits per second of data bandwidth off-chip.

Ouster said that the L4 architecture features both the 128-channel L4 and 256-channel L4 Max.

‘Native color’ capabilities

The company said that Rev8 represents a paradigm shift in AI perception with the world’s first native color lidar sensors. To perceive the world in full context requires a combination of structure and color, and Ouster said that Rev8 is the first sensor to unify both. For the first time, Ouster said that a single lidar sensor can understand road signs, interpret brake lights or simply capture the richness of planet earth in survey-grade, colorized maps.

Ouster said that with megapixel resolution and stunning image quality, Rev8 native color sensors fuse data through physics rather than software. The company said that every point is "born" with color, ensuring ultra-low latency and perfect spatial-temporal alignment.

The company added that this single-sensor eliminates the need for complex calibration, providing a seamless understanding of 3D environments with rich visual and depth information. With 48-bit color depth and 116 dB of dynamic range, Ouster said that the native color data maintains performance in lighting extremes from 1 lux to 2 million lux.

Ouster provided the following details of the Rev8 OS family, featuring the completely reimagined OS0, OS1 and OSDome sensors, and adding the flagship 256-channel OS1 Max.

• The Flagship OS1 Max: Ouster said that it provides best-in-class performance by delivering double the range and double the resolution of Rev7 through a premier 256-channel architecture powered by the L4 Max. The OS1 Max sees up to 200 meters at 10% reflectivity with a maximum detection range of 500 meters, all with a 45° field-of-view. Purpose-built for high-speed autonomy, smart infrastructure and heavy industrial use, the company said that the OS1 Max offers native color and industry-leading reliability to power long-range, high-performance applications.
• Engineered for functional safety and reliability: Ouster said that every sensor is auto-grade, cybersecure to ISO 21434, and designed for ASIL-B to ISO 26262, SIL-2 to IEC 61508 and PLd to ISO 13849 functional-safety certifications, ensuring continuous uptime and industry-leading reliability in the most demanding industrial and automotive applications.
• Built For affordability and scale: The company said that the sensors are designed for low-cost, high-volume production deployments to support mass market adoption. With a planned 10-year production life, Ouster said that the Rev8 sensors provide the long-term program stability and scalability required for global commercial rollouts.

"Rev8 is the most advanced family of lidar sensors ever released and sets a new standard in sensing," said Ouster CEO Angus Pacala. "With the L4 Ouster Silicon, we are delivering on the promise of our digital architecture to deliver exponential improvements in performance, doubling our core specs and simultaneously introducing the world’s first native color lidar to give machines 3D human-like sight for the next era of Physical AI. Rev8 is the foundational technology that will allow customers to move from prototype to commercial production at scale, providing the reliability and affordability required to enable real-world autonomy across industries.”