Velodyne Lidar Joins ITS America to Advance Intelligent Transportation Systems

August 28, 2020

Velodyne Supports Education and Advocacy on How Lidar Can Help Improve Transportation Safety and Efficiency

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#lidar—Velodyne Lidar, Inc. today announced it has joined the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) to promote the benefits of autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation infrastructure. Velodyne is the first lidar technology company to become part of this influential group. ITS America members are at the forefront of driving progress in autonomous vehicles and smart city solutions to help save lives, improve mobility and promote sustainability.

Velodyne’s lidar sensors can be used in a variety of Intelligent Transportation Systems to measure and monitor conditions in areas such as pedestrian safety, vehicle traffic and parking space management, and more. They can collect reliable, detailed traffic data about road users, including vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, while preserving anonymity. Velodyne’s lidar sensors do not identify individuals’ facial characteristics, a growing requirement for civic applications. In addition to transportation systems, Velodyne’s lidar sensors have a strong presence in autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Velodyne has a long-standing commitment to fostering understanding of the safety and mobility benefits of autonomous vehicles and intelligent infrastructure to consumer, business, government, public safety and community audiences. These efforts include Velodyne’s World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology. The event has sparked collaborative work to advance solutions for rolling out autonomy and ADAS with the goal of improving safety on the roadways. Velodyne also partners with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) on public education about improving safety on roadways.

Velodyne’s lidar sensors are used in a rich ecosystem of customers and applications, which is highlighted in the Automated with Velodyne program. Partners in the program provide solutions for smart city, infrastructure, autonomous vehicles and more. Within the program, Velodyne is working to advance research in transportation infrastructure, partnering with University of Nevada, Reno. The university’s Nevada Center for Applied Research, working in conjunction with the Nevada DOT and Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, is using Velodyne’s sensors in its Intelligent Mobility initiative. Velodyne is also partnering with automotive OEMs, and robotaxi and autonomous shuttle companies to enable safe and efficient transportation options for cities. For instance, Voyage has built the technology and services to bring autonomous transportation to those who need it, beginning in retirement communities.

“Lidar is a foundational technology that will help drive intelligent mobility in smart city applications and in vehicles on our roadways,” said Shailen Bhatt, President & CEO, ITS America. “Velodyne has demonstrated a strong commitment and great skills in advancing public knowledge about lidar and how autonomous technology can greatly improve transportation. We welcome their contributions in helping ITS America promote intelligent transportation technologies.”

“Velodyne Lidar is strongly aligned with the ITS America mission to improve mobility, advance safety on the roadways, and increase efficiency in our communities,” said Sally Frykman, VP of Communications, Velodyne Lidar. “We envision companies and government organizations will use Velodyne’s lidar sensors to enable a new generation of smart infrastructure through data collection and the deployment of autonomous vehicles.

About Velodyne Lidar

Velodyne provides smart, powerful lidar solutions for autonomy and driver assistance. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Velodyne is known worldwide for its portfolio of breakthrough lidar sensor technologies. Velodyne’s founder, David Hall, invented real-time surround view lidar systems in 2005 as part of Velodyne Acoustics. Mr. Hall’s invention revolutionized perception and autonomy for automotive, new mobility, mapping, robotics, and security. Velodyne’s high-performance product line includes a broad range of sensing solutions, including the cost-effective Puck™, the versatile Ultra Puck™, the autonomy-advancing Alpha Prime™, the ADAS-optimized VELARRAY™, and the groundbreaking software for driver assistance, Vella™.