Ibeo has signed a cooperation, development and license agreement with Valeo in the field of laser 
scanner technology.

This agreement gives Valeo exclusive access to Ibeo’s expertise and know-how and enables it 
to evolve Ibeo’s laser scanner technology for high volume applications. This technology 
complements Valeo’s own range of radar, ultrasonic, infrared and vision sensor systems.
With the laser scanner, Valeo, which is already market leader in driving assistance systems, will 
be able to promote innovative active safety features in this area.

Ibeo, a specialist in the area of laser scanners, has provided sensors for many automakers’ 
advanced developments for over 10 years. It has also supplied sensors for numerous research 
projects, including the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United 
States) Urban Challenge, where Ibeo fielded an autonomous vehicle on its own.
Valeo and Ibeo will cooperate to define, specify and develop products using laser scanner 
technology and Valeo will market them for mass-production automotive applications. These smart driving systems will contribute to improving safety, fuel efficiency and driving comfort.  

For additional information please visit our website at www.AutonomouStuff.com or send an e-mail to info@AutonomouStuff.com.

AutonomouStuff now distributes SmartMicro RADAR altimeter solutions.


 Smartmicro altimeter Radars reliably determine the current altitude (height above ground) and vertical speed over all kind of surfaces. Being light weight (now new 160g version available), precise, robust, weather- and sunlight- independent they are ideal for many types of aircraft: small airplanes, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or MAV. Low power consumption makes them perfect for battery powered applications. Having a wide beam antenna the altimeter Radars are able to compensate pitch and roll of up to +-20degree.

The altimeter Radars can easily be mounted on the bottom part of the aircraft. Since the housing, radome and connector are waterproof the altimeter Radars can be mounted without any protection or, if desired, they can be mounted invisibly behind a plastics or other nonconductive material.

SMART MICRO FEATURES

• Determines true height above ground (altimeter Radar).
• Detects, tracks and calulates range and attitude of objects around an aircraft (proximity warning Radar).
• Built-in test (BIT) and diagnostics on board.

UMRR-0A1701-220701

• Altitude interval: 0.5 .. 500 m.
  
• Accuracy 1m or 3% (maximum of) .
• Maximum pitch and roll: ±20°.
• Size: 110 x 99 x 29 mm.
• Weight: 350g.
• NEW: Ultra light 160g version available.
  

For additional information please visit our website at www.AutonomouStuff.com or send an e-mail to info@AutonomouStuff.com

Hokuyo announces a new Outdoor sensor with an Ethernet Interface.

This new sensor is expected to be available in November 2011

Scanning Laser Range Finder UTM-30LX-EW and UXM-30LX-EW for Outdoor applications

•  Ethernet Interface
  
•  Multi-Echo Detection for Outdoor Applications
  
•  IP67

The Hokuyo UXM-30LX-EW Scanning Laser Rangefinder is in many ways Hokuyo's most farsighted scanner. Normal objects can be seen up to 50m away, while those difficult to see "low reflectance" objects (10% reflectivity & above) can be seen from a distance of 30m. Additionally, the multi-echo functionality ensures that low level "noise" caused by adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain, fog and dust, is filtered out.
The UXM-30LX is available with USB or Ethernet connectivity and weighs in at less than 800g. With outstanding outdoor performance we see the UXM-30LX being used in larger mobile robots and intelligent AGV's.

E-mail info@AutonomouStuff.com for additional details or pricing on the UTM-30LX-EW or visit http://www.autonomoustuff.com/hokuyo-utm-30lx-ew.html for additional details.

Automotive autonomous driving is a reality! It will not be long before we will be able to press the "autopilot" button, kick back and relax while driving in traffic  AutonomouStuff provides many of the sensors used for this type of research.   See the storty below:

The thought of driving a BMW from Munich to Nuremberg on the autobahn might thrill a driving enthusiast, but for most German commuters it’s just another slog in rush-hour traffic.

That’s why BMW is testing a 5-Series sedan outfitted with autonomous tech on that stretch of roadway. The German automaker wants to see if cars with the ability to sense their surroundings can make heavy traffic less of a chore for stressed-out drivers. Engineers from the Highly Automated Driving group have racked up more than 3,100 miles in a semi-autonomous car that can take over during a traffic jam and even bring the car to the shoulder if the driver becomes incapacitated.

BMW’s system uses radar, lidar, ultrasound, video and highly detailed GPS maps to sense the vehicle’s position in relation to its surroundings, including oncoming traffic. With that information, the prototype BMW can not only keep its place in heavy traffic but also pass slower traffic. Researchers say the car can even handle merging traffic — but it does so by slowing down to let oncoming traffic into a lane, much like an 80-year-old aunt of ours. We’re impressed, but we wouldn’t want to try that on the autobahn.

Much of the environmental sensing technology came about as part of BMW’s partnership with the German government’s SmartSenior Initiative, which funded the development of an emergency stop assistant. It can detect when a driver is unable to continue driving — say, due to a medical emergency — and takes over, safely pulling a car over to a shoulder and calling emergency services.

Both systems work thanks to a series of technological redundancies. If there isn’t adequate GPS data, the car will rely on lidar and ultrasound information, for example. If there aren’t at least two accurate data streams, the system won’t operate. Engineers hope these fail-safes will teach drivers to adapt to a semi-autonomous vehicle.

“After a few minutes of experiencing the smooth, sovereign and safe driving style, drivers and passengers begin to relax somewhat and trust the independent system,” said project manager Nico Kämpchen. “Nevertheless, the driver is still responsible for the situation at all times and must constantly keep an eye on traffic and the surroundings.”

BMW debuted a similar system on the i3 concept. Called Traffic Jam Assistant, it brakes, accelerates and steers at speeds up to 25 mph. To keep drivers from getting complacent, the BMW system will only function when the driver’s hand is on the steering wheel (unlike the photo above).

Next up for the Highly Automated Driving Group: construction zones, the obstacle courses of autonomous vehicle trials. “Construction sites are a big challenge, because they take on all kinds of forms, which makes detection, localization and determining the right vehicle response quite difficult,” Kämpchen said.

What makes the Smart MIcro sensors attractive is the fact that they offer a very scalable and customizable solution of networked and fused  sensors systems from 2 up to 8 radar sensors.  In addition to the fused/networked sensors, the sensors also have the capability to embed tracking and ADAS applications.

For the efficient development of Radar systems, Smartmicro provides DriveRecorder and SmartFrame, two software tools which allow Radar data logging combined with video and other data, detailed system performance analysis etc. These tools are configurable and can flexibly be adapted to different multi sensor system designs.

 If you would like to learn more about this flexible Automotive Radar solution then please feel free to visit our website at http://www.autonomoustuff.com/smart-micro.html or send an e-mail to info@AutonomouStuff.com.

We can customize it completely!