LiDAR is a core component for autonomous driving, yet the high cost is the biggest hurdle ahead for its application. However, LiDAR start-ups are racing to bring down the cost, let alone leading players like Velodyne.

Solid-state LiDAR is believed to be the key for cost slash due to simpler structure design and less mechanical rotating components. It can also improve production efficiency.

No one knows how soon the automotive-grade LiDAR will appear. But the industry is positive about technology development of LiDAR. For example, Anti Braking System(ABS) used to be priced as high as USD 8,000, but the cost is below USD 200 today. Executives from Velodyne and Quanergy believe the price cut of LiDARs is a certainty when annual production volume of LiDARs hit millions of units.

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TetraVueLast February, TetraVue announced the investment of 1 million dollars from Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Nautilus Venture Partners, Samsung Catalyst Fund and Foxconn, while at the end of last December, it gained a new funding from KLA Tencor, LamResearch and Tsing Capital.

TetraVue’s technology is different from others’, which integrates high resolution videos and range information. TetraVue’s LiDAR captures 60 million bytes of data per second.

The present cameras can precisely detect high resolution 2D images but cannot catch deep information of objects. According to official information, TetraVue combines digital videos and LiDAR technologies, to capture images of millions pixels with precise deep information. The technology is unveiled at CES.

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