U.S.-based Aeva and German company SICK AG have announced a strategic multi-year collaboration to bring Aeva’s Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D LiDAR to a variety of industrial sensing applications, including long range sensing, starting with Aeries™ II.

“We are pleased to partner with Aeva and work closely together to bring its FMCW technology to high performance industrial sensing applications,” said Dr. Niels Syassen, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Technology and Digitization at SICK.

Dr. Syassen continued, “We are convinced that their unique approach to FMCW technology, which includes instant velocity detection and long range performance, will provide new opportunities for us and our customers in a variety of industrial sensing applications where traditional time of flight LiDAR technologies are challenged.”

Advantages of FMCW 4D LiDAR Technology

In particular, Aeva’s FMCW 4D LiDAR technology provides unique perception advantages over other sensing technologies. The sensing technologies include cameras and legacy 3D LiDAR sensors. Also, better dynamic range performance to perceive low and high reflectivity targets within the same measurement without edge effects is among these advantages. Specifically, the said feature allows automated machinery to transition easily from indoor to outdoor operation.

Moreso, Aeva’s technology is immune to blooming and ghosting from retroreflectors. Thus, automated machines using Aeva’s 4D LiDAR will have clear perception when highly reflective objects, such as safety vests, cones and tape are in the field of view of the sensor. Moreover, it clearly detects low and highly reflective objects in the sensor’s field of view. Some examples are safety vests, pylons and adhesive tapes. This way, FMCW helps increase reliability and efficiency in demanding 3D applications.

“SICK is one of the foremost leaders in industrial sensing solutions. Today’s partnership is a major step forward for the advancement of high performance and reliable FMCW-based sensing across a broad set of industrial applications,” said Soroush Salehian, Co-founder and CEO at Aeva. “This strategic collaboration is a testament to the industry-leading performance and versatility of our unique 4D LiDAR technology for scaled deployment in industrial applications.”