Autonomous & Self-Driving Vehicle News: Arbe & Baidu

In autonomous an self-driving vehicle news are Arbe and Baidu.

Arbe Intros Lynx

Arbe Robotics Ltd. (Nasdaq: ARBE) (“Arbe”), the global leader in next-generation Imaging Radar solutions, announced the introduction of a surround imaging radar, Lynx, which processes 24×12 channels and is the only long-range, high resolution, 360° sensing, affordable solution available on the market today. Lynx outperforms the current industry 3×4 corner radars, and even the most advanced 12×16 front radars, making it an industry-first surround radar able to enhance perception and sensor fusion.

Arbe’s Lynx Imaging Radar’s small form factor and affordable price make it a highly suitable sensor for multiple installations around the vehicle. Lynx Imaging Radar was designed to complement Arbe’s flagship product, Phoenix Perception Radar, which processes 48×48 channels. Both radars will work in sync to deliver unified perception and interference avoidance. Together, Phoenix combined with Lynx, provide full sensor coverage around the vehicle, addressing the different requirements in each position to enable unparalleled safety to autonomous vehicles.

“Arbe is leading the radar revolution by creating new, enhanced products that push the limits of what radar is able to achieve,” says Kobi Marenko, CEO of Arbe. “For the first time, the industry is being introduced to surround imaging radar that enables true safety and the roll out of advanced autonomous applications. The launch of this new product represents a tremendous business opportunity for Arbe and for our Tier 1 partners.”

The high demand for a long range surround sensor represents a significant opportunity. Lynx is designed to be a corner and a back radar for L2+ and higher autonomous vehicles. To achieve true safety and autonomy, L2+ vehicles will require four to six surround imaging radars per vehicle, integrated on top of one or two perception radars. In addition, Lynx can be utilized as a front radar for driver assist systems (ADAS), a new industry vertical for imaging radars, comprising a vast number of vehicles. In fact, several Tier 1s already implement Arbe-based Surround Imaging Radars to offer OEMs a complete 360° solution that is future-proofed and ready for the next generation of perception requirements.

Until now, 360° sensing has been performed with corner radars, which were used primarily for ADAS features like blind spot detection, cross traffic alert, tracking of dynamic objects, etc. However, corner radars notoriously fell short in providing a solution for more challenging use cases like alerting about a vehicle approaching from long distance, identifying stationary objects, detecting distance between one vehicle and the next, and measuring object shape and size. Because corner radars do not provide imaging, they were not integrated with the other sensors in the vehicle for sensor fusion, nor contributed to the perception system.

Lynx resolves a sensor gap for surround installations – by providing a solution to challenging lighting and weather conditions which limit cameras and LiDARs, who also lack the needed long range. Corner radars cannot provide the needed redundancy to optic sensors because of their low resolution, and the high cost of the high resolution long range radars on the market makes them impractical to implement in multiple locations on a vehicle. To provide a solution to this gap, Arbe has launched Lynx Imaging Radar as a reliable and affordable sensor that provides both redundancy and the data diversity that is critical for both automotive-grade safety and for rolling out autonomous functionality. Lynx delivers effective sensing in all environment conditions, and gathers the data that optical sensors lack, like velocity, long range, depth perception, and more.

Baidu Intros Apollo RT6

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) (“Baidu” or the “Company”), a leading AI company with strong internet foundation,  unveiled its next-generation fully autonomous vehicle (AV) Apollo RT6, an all-electric, production-ready model with a detachable steering wheel. Designed for complex urban environments, Apollo RT6 will be put into operation in China in 2023 on Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service. With a per unit cost of RMB 250,000 (~$37,000), the arrival of Apollo RT6 is set to accelerate AV deployment at scale, bringing the world closer to a future of driverless shared mobility.

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As Baidu’s 6th generation AV, Apollo RT6 is distinct from previous generations that were otherwise retrofitted on conventional vehicles. The steering wheel-free design unleashes more space to craft unique interiors, allowing for the installation of extra seating, vending machines, desktops, or gaming consoles. At 4760mm long with a wheelbase of 2830mm, the rider-first Apollo RT6 delivers comfort with independent rear seating, ample rear legroom of 1050mm, a purely flat floor and an intelligent interaction system. The Apollo RT6 exterior features a revolutionary look that seamlessly integrates sensors on the sunroof alongside interactive lights and intelligent electric sliding doors to further enhance the riding experience.

Apollo RT6 integrates Baidu’s most advanced L4 autonomous driving system, powered by automotive-grade dual computing units with a computing power of up to 1200 TOPS. The vehicle utilizes 38 sensors, including 8 LiDARs and 12 cameras, to obtain highly accurate, long-range detection on all sides. The safety and reliability of Apollo RT6 are backed by a massive trove of real-world data, a total test mileage of over 32 million kilometers (~20 million miles) driven by Baidu’s AV to date.

Speaking at Baidu World 2022, Zhenyu Li, senior corporate vice president of Baidu and general manager of Intelligent Driving Group (IDG), said the autonomous driving capability of Apollo RT6 is equivalent to a skilled driver with 20 years of experience.

Apollo RT6 is the first vehicle model built on Xinghe, Baidu’s self-developed automotive E/E architecture specially for fully autonomous driving. The vehicle is 100% automotive-grade and has full redundancy throughout both hardware and autonomous driving software.

The creation of Apollo RT6 marks another milestone for Baidu.