RoboSense provides lidar for all-weather autonomous driving shuttle bus

RoboSense, a lidar perception technology solutions firm, has provided cold-resistant all-weather lidar for the world’s first autonomous driving shuttle bus.

The bus, named Gacha, is equipped with RoboSense’s  cold-resistant 16-beam mechanical lidar environment perception system for operating vehicles in harsh winter and other severe weather conditions.

The shuttle bus was designed in collaboration with Finnish autonomous driving company Sensible 4, which provided software for positioning, navigation, and obstacle detection; Muji, which provided expertise in design and user experience; and RoboSense.

Under extreme weather conditions, the performance of critical sensors, such as lidars and cameras, are severely affected. Low temperatures, such as in Finland, at -30°C, can incapacitate semiconductor components, while snow and icy roads cripple the image algorithms’ ability.

Under these circumstances, RoboSense’s new cold-resistant lidar is essential since it “sees” a 3D world through emitting and receiving lasers pulses, with point cloud algorithms that accurately recognise obstacles, even in snow and ice.

RoboSense will join Sensible 4 on its first Gacha bus fleet public road deployment in April, as well as future projects in Finland and abroad.