Vayyar to Bring its 3D Image Sensor Technology to Autonomous Cars

author: Eric Walz   

Vayyar Imaging, the Israeli based 3D-imaging Sensor company whose technology makes it possible to see through materials, map 3D objects, and sense liquids, today announced the launch of its award-winning sensor technology within the automotive and autonomous driving markets. The 3D sensors enable groundbreaking safety advancements, new efficiencies in cargo management and enhance the security of self-driving and autonomous vehicles.  

Vayyar's 3D sensors are unique in their versatility. A single sensor can deliver vast sensing capabilities that previously required the combination of multiple technologies and sensors. Vayyar's sensors are also safe, low cost, mobile and work in any lighting and environmental condition. They do not capture an optical image, and thus, respect privacy.

"The automotive market has always been at the forefront of technical evolution, and as we move toward autonomous navigation, our vehicles need constant, accurate and new types of information about everything happening both within and outside of the car," said Raviv Melamed, CEO and co-founder, Vayyar Imaging.  "We believe this next step forward in the automotive industry will provide safety from obstacles outside the car, as well as monitor the health and safety of people within the car."

How 3D imaging Changes In-Car Monitoring and Safety

Vayyar's embedded 3D sensors scan the interior of a car and give a real-time picture of everything happening within the vehicle. By monitoring vital signs from a distance, the sensors can alert a driver who is dozing off or send an alert to a parent if an infant or pet has been left in the car.  Post-accident, 3D sensors can identify the state of survivors inside the vehicle and relay information to emergency responders. In the autonomous driving sector, Vayyar's sensors create a 3D image that enables autonomous cars to identify the number of people inside the car and in case of an accident, optimize airbags to deploy and inflate based on the seating location and size of the vehicle's passengers.

360 Degree View Inside and Outside the Vehicle

Vayyar's 3D imaging sensors can be used to remove all blind spots, identifying nearby obstacles, cyclists, vehicles that are too close and self-parking, providing perimeter information both vertically and horizontally or large or small vehicles.  Vayyar's sensors are agnostic to environmental factors such as darkness, excessive light, heat or fog, allowing them to provide an increased level of safety.

The company's exclusive tracking and sensing technologies provides a safe human-robot co-working environment, with sophisticated collision avoidance and precise measurements that ensures greater productivity and safer interaction between humans and machines, such as robots, forklifts and small autonomous vehicles.

Cargo Management Optimization

Vayyar's 3D sensors also enable volumetric sensing and increased efficiencies in cargo management. When placed inside transport vehicles, the 3D sensors can map available space, the distribution of objects within the container, and also provide cargo integrity while in transit by detecting movements of the cargo in real-time. Vayyar's sensors provide trucks, vans, buses and trains with another layer of digitization to optimize utilization both at the fleet and vehicle levels.

According to a recent report by Research and Markets, the global 3D sensor market is poised to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of around 17.4% over the next decade, reaching approximately $12 billion by 2025. Vayyar is well positioned to be a market leader in 3D sensors, and began developing its powerful 3D imaging sensor technology in 2011 as a way to aid in breast cancer detection.

Vayyar has since expanded its 3D sensor offering to additional markets beyond automotive, building partnerships with top Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries including, smart home, smart buildings, agriculture, robotics, AR and VR, personal health, DIY and construction.

Vayyar Imaging is  backed by Walden Riverwood, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Israel Cleantech Ventures (ICV) and Amiti Ventures.

Eric Walz

Originally from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley. Eric has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology. Outside of work, Eric likes to travel to new places, play guitar, and explore the outdoors.