Silicon Valley-based Velodyne LiDAR has announced a significant cost reduction for its VLP-16 Puck, a LiDAR sensor suited for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other autonomous vehicles.
Velodyne says its most popular LiDAR sensor is now being offered to customers around the world for up to a 50% cost reduction.
“Demand for our VLP-16s grew tremendously in 2017. As a result, we increased capacity and now can pass along savings as cost reduction to our customers,” says David Hall, founder and CEO of Velodyne LiDAR.
The company says its sensors are rolling off the assembly line as a result of large-scale automated manufacturing at its San Jose, Calif., megafactory, which leverages advanced and streamlined manufacturing techniques to build a range of Velodyne LiDAR sensors, including the Ultra Puck VLP-32C and the recently announced VLS-128. It employs hundreds of people who fulfill engineering, manufacturing and corporate functions for Velodyne, which has more than doubled its full-time employees over the past six months.
“Since its launch, customers have been lining up to purchase the VLP-16, and we’ve been able to meet that growing demand by expanding production and developing automated manufacturing for LiDAR sensors at the megafactory,” adds Hall. “With this cost reduction, we’ll be able to get more Pucks into the hands of more customers, support the growing number of autonomous vehicle development fleets around the world and start creating a better tomorrow.”
According to the company, the VLP-16 delivers a small, accurate, reliable and affordable sensor for real-time 3D vision with 100 meters of range and a 360-degree surround field-of-view.
“The VLP-16 opened the door for advanced LiDAR technology in several industries that benefit from real-time 3D data in a small form factor,” adds Mike Jellen, president of Velodyne LiDAR.
