【China Startup】The eyes of driverless | 打开无人驾驶之眼

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Google and Baidu have been testing self-driving vehicles for several years, but the safety of driverless cars remains a significant concern for many. 

Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, has become an essential component for many self-driving vehicles. LiDAR measures distance by illuminating possible obstacles with a laser and feeding the resulting data into the vehicle’s computer, improving passenger safety and reducing the traffic accident rate. 

Isurestar's office

Chinese technology company Isurestar has incorporated LiDAR into several large-scale projects. And it has now developed a set of professional product, R-Angle and R-Fans, which are designed for self-driving vehicles.

“LiDAR is the ‘eyes’ of the car, it feeds data to the car’s ‘brain’ while driving,” explained Zhang Zhiwu, a co-founder of Isurestar. 

Zhang used to be a senior executive in a US company, but in 2013 she decided to quit that job and join Isurestar.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

From 2005 to 2013, Isurestar concentrated on developing new technology and products. The company expanded its business plan to incorporate products suitable for an obstacle avoidance system. The R-Angle prototype was tested in 2009, and in 2013 the R-Angle product hit the market. In 2016, Isurestar launched R-Fans.

“Mapping and obstacle detection are based on the LiDAR technology, so it’s easier for us to develop them,” Zhang noted. 

While R-Angle plays a key role in scanning and mapping the routes for self-driving cars, R-Fans can be installed near the headlights as part of the obstacle avoidance system. To be more specific, R-Angle is the first pair of eyes to prepare self-driving cars for the routes, and R-Fans are the second pair of eyes to collect real-time traffic data. R-Fans can also be installed on a drone.

UNMANNED OPPORTUNITY

At first, Isurestar gave top priority to high precision, but gradually it became clear that a device suitable for a self-driving vehicle needed to be small, portable, low-cost and efficient. 

Difference between Surveying Mapping and Obstacle Avoidance

Zhang said that in the sector, affordability is key to winning market share. 

“The traditional LiDAR technique is expensive - a customer won’t pay more than the price of the car to buy an obstacle avoidance system,” said Zhang.

Zhang explained why her company decided to launch obstacle detection products in 2013: 

•   The product was tested and viable 
•   The product was of high quality and able to compete with others
•   The technique to produce a self-driving vehicle’s “brain” had matured

“Since our product was released, the market price of similar products has been cut almost by half,” Zhang proudly stated.

Price cuts by competitors have led to increased pressure to Isurestar, but Zhang believes her company can survive with good strategy and R & D capability.

In 2014, Isurestar received 20 million yuan (3.04 million US dollars) in financing from venture capital firm Legend Star. 

Zhang expects the market demand for smart transportation and drones to soar in the coming decades, and she is confident LiDAR technology will have a bright future. 

TO Startup:

On July 9, we will cover the “WILL” conference for future technology exploration. Zhang Zhiwu and many other startup entrepreneurs are expected to attend the one-day event. There will also be a question and answer session during the conference. Post your questions below if you are interested in joining the discussion!