Seoul Robotics Launches Deployment-Ready Lidar for Autonomous Vehicles, Smart Cities

Seoul Robotics this week announced the commercial launch of Voyage, which it described as an "plug-and-play" lidar perception system. The Voyage deployment kit includes the proprietary SENSR2 software, lidar sensors, and a computer, allowing customers to immediately use the product and start seeing real-time results, said the company.

The lidar market, which could reach more than $3 billion by 2025, has become crowded over the past several years, as the technology became synonymous with autonomous vehicles, said Seoul Robotics.

While there are many lidar producers, most sensors on the market are sold without any intelligence, the company added. This approach is similar to selling a computer without a monitor -- leaving companies to develop software in-house, significantly increasing the time and cost of deployment, it said.

"First and foremost, lidar sensors do not work without sophisticated perception software. The lidar industry is investing billions of dollars on sensors without even considering the software needed to interpret the data into actionable solutions," said HanBin Lee, CEO of Seoul Robotics. "Voyage combines analytics and sensors to bring tangible solutions to market much faster."

Voyage capabilities

Seoul Robotics said that Voyage can empower organizations and communities to increase efficiencies and improve safety through a cost-effective, customizable system. Because Voyage is sensor-agnostic, organizations do not have to worry about changing software when they change or upgrade their sensors, reducing the barriers to entry for 3D vision, according to the company.

Voyage is designed to deliver highly accurate object detection, tracking, and classification for a wide range of applications for smart cities, intelligent transportation systems, retail analytics, crowd monitoring, security, and more. Seoul Robotics said it combines three technologies:

• Industry-leading 3D lidar sensing powered by SENSR2
• Edge computing for minimum data burden and ease of integration
• Built-in sophisticated perception software for instantaneous analytics

Voyage provides centimeter-level 3D object detection, tracking, and classification in addition to volumetric profiling and motion-prediction capabilities, regardless of lighting conditions. It can also collect and process data from up to four sensors for seamless insights across the sensor coverage zones, said Seoul Robotics.

Not only does the new system use Seoul Robotics’ experience in developing long range, high-resolution, and cost-efficient lidar. It also opens the door to a variety of applications where data privacy is protected with anonymous scanning and analytics because no biometric or identifying data is ever captured, shown, or stored. This maximizes the protection of people's privacy when installed as part of various smart city and security systems, the company claimed.

About Seoul Robotics

Founded in 2017, Seoul Robotics said its perception platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to power the future of mobility, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart cities. The computer vision company has partnered with OEMs, systems integrators, and government agencies around the world to diversify the use of 3D sensors and data.

Seoul Robotics said its software is compatible with nearly all lidars and 3D data sensors and can increase accuracy, efficiency, and ensure safety across a range of industries and applications. Its customers include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Chattanooga Department of Transportation, and Emart.

Seoul Robotics has offices in Seoul, South Korea, as well as Silicon Valley, Munich, and Detroit and is backed by leading global financial institutions. It raised $12 million in a bridge round of investment from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund earlier this month.