BMW i Ventures has invested in Blackmore Sensors and Analytics, a developer of frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidar.
Zach Barasz, BMW i Ventures partner, noted, “Advances in new sensor technologies like lidar are going to make cars safer and, eventually, autonomous. Blackmore has unique and innovative FMCW lidar technology that delivers a new dimension of data to future vehicles.”
Low-cost lidar sensors are required to enable self-driving vehicles and, in addition to being more cost-effective, Blackmore’s FMCW lidar technology has several competitive advantages over traditional pulsed lidar systems that enable autonomous driving teams to achieve their goals faster.
Blackmore CEO Dr Randy Reibel said, “Having the ability to measure both the speed and the distance to any object gives self-driving systems more information to navigate safely.”
Blackmore will use the investment to scale the production of its FMCW lidar sensor for ADAS and self-driving markets.