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Collaboration with Lumotive, Inc. of the U.S. in the development of 3D LiDAR for industrial applications

Hokuyo Automatic Co., Ltd (HQ: Osaka, President: Hitoshi Ozaki) is now processing the collaboration with American venture Lumotive, Inc. (Redmond, WA) that has its original solid state scanning technique for the development of next generation 3D LiDAR to target industrial applications.

In 2004, Hokuyo Automatic was the first Japanese company to develop an innovative ultra-compact range sensor (LiDAR) for environmental awareness in service robots, and its use has expanded into various markets, including transport equipment, and its ingenious mechanical and optical designs have been successfully used in the market for nearly 20 years.

Lumotive has successfully developed LCM (Light Control Metasurface) chips, featuring a revolutionary beam steering technology that can change the direction of a laser beam without using any mechanical parts by utilizing patent-protected metasurface structures. Its LCM chips are built using mass-production semiconductor manufacturing processes. The company also offers production-ready LiDAR module reference designs to speed up time to market for its customers.

In collaboration with Lumotive, we will jointly develop a 3D LiDAR that uses Lumotive's LCM technology and integrate it with Hokuyo's LiDAR design technology to mass produce it as a commercial product.
This product will enable innovative applications that could not be realized with conventional mechanical scanning technology, and will aim to expand business with a focus on applications such as AGV/AMR and service robots, where the use of LiDAR is expected to expand in the future.

The new 3D LiDAR (range sensor) jointly developed by the two companies is expected to go on sale in January 2024 as a mass-produced product, but will be supplied as a prototype product (model name: YLM-X001) from July 2023. The main specifications are as follows;

Detection distance : 0.1 to 10m (reflectance 10%)
Field of View (FoV): FOV across centerline
Horizontal　　　　 : 120 degrees (fixed)
Vertical　　　　　 : 90 degrees (programmable)
Distance accuracy : Distance x 0.5%
Image resolution : MAX. 640×480 (VGA), Default 320×240 (QVGA)
Angular resolution : MAX. 0.188 degrees (default 0.375 deg)
Frame rate : 10Hz or more
Size : 120mm×80mm×80mm (in case of prototype model YLM-X001)

General information of the prototype : YLM-X001

Lumotive overview
Lumotive’s award-winning optical semiconductor solutions enable advanced sensing and perception capabilities in next-generation consumer, mobility, and industrial automation products such as mobile devices, autonomous vehicles, and robots. The company’s patented Light Control Metasurface (LCM™) beam steering chips deliver an unparalleled combination of high performance, exceptional reliability, and low cost — all in a tiny, easily integrated solution. Lumotive has received measurable industry acclaim including Fierce Electronics’ 2021 Startup of the Year award, two CES 2022 Innovation Awards, a 2022 SPIE PRISM Award, and a prestigious Edison Award. Investors include Gates Frontier, MetaVC Partners, Quan Funds, Samsung Ventures, Uniquest, and USAA.


About Lumotive
Company's name: Lumotive Inc.
Location: Redmond, WA, U.S.A
Establishment: 2018
Representative: Sam Heidari, Ph.D. (CEO Board Member)
Business details:
Development, production and sales of Light Control Metasurface (LCM), semiconductors
URL: https://www.lumotive.com/


About Hokuyo Automatic
Company's name: HOKUYO AUTOMATIC CO., LTD.
Location: Higobashi Union Building, 1-9-6 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 550-0002 Japan
Establishment: 1946
Representative: Hitoshi Ozaki (President)
Business details:
Development, production and sales of industrial sensors
URL: https://www.hokuyo-aut.jp/

Contact: Marketing Strategy Department, Corporate Planning Headquarters
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