Pioneer Corporation of Tokyo Japan reported that it and MooVita Pte Ltd of Singapore will begin a trial of an autonomous shuttle bus equipped with Pioneer’s 3D-LiDAR sensor. The MooVita autonomous shuttle trial will be within the facility area of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a higher education institution in Singapore.
MooVita Intends to Commercialize Level 4 Autonomous Driving
Through this trial run, the two companies intend to commercialize services of autonomous driving level 4 (the level of autonomous driving that does not require any human intervention or monitoring, but such vehicles must remain in certain areas due to regulations).
MooVita is a startup founded by ex-employees of A*STAR, the Agency of Science, Technology & Research in Singapore. Moovita promotes developments of autonomous driving technologies. So far, Moovita has developed its autonomous driving business in Singapore, Malaysia, and India.
Pioneer 3D-LiDAR Sensor Uses Laser Beams to Measure Distances
Pioneer’s 3D-LiDAR sensor uses laser beams to accurately measure distances to objects and obtains three-dimensional information about distances and surroundings in real time. In the world of autonomous and assisted driving vehicles, 3D-LiDAR systems are regarded as an essential enabling technology for vehicle use for level 3 and higher autonomous driving.
In level three autonomous driving, the driver can turn their attention away from driving, but they must be able to react within a certain time period specified by the vehicle manufacturer. The 2018 Audi A8 luxury vehicle was the first commercial vehicle that claims to be capable of level 3 self-driving.
Pioneer is developing a high-performance, smaller and lower priced 3D-LiDAR sensor using a MEMS mirror. The company is targeting mass production of the 3D-LiDAR sensor the 2020s.
In late September 2018, Pioneer began shipping three types and four models of 3D-LiDAR sensors with different measurement distances and fields of view to various companies in Japan and overseas.
Using these models, Pioneer intends to develop a highly accurate “Object Detection algorithm” and “Localization algorithm.”
In supplying the 3D sensing technology to MooVita, Pioneer will provide the knowledge and technologies concerning 3D-LiDAR sensors and the algorithm. On the other hand, MooVita will advance the development of autonomous driving solutions. Both companies plan to contribute to the early practical implementation of autonomous driving and autonomous driving services.
