Leti, a leading research institute and a subsidiary of the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA Tech) in Grenoble, France; Transdev, a leading global provider of mobility services; and IRT Nanoelec, an R&D center focused on information and communication technologies (ICT) using micro- and nanoelectronics, announced a pilot program to characterize and assess LiDAR sensors to improve performance and safety of autonomous vehicles.
The Leti campus in Grenoble, France. Source: Leti
The perception of the environment through sensors is essential to autonomous vehicles, so evaluating sensor effectiveness and robustness is critical to developing Transdev’s Autonomous Transport System technology, which will allow the safe operation of autonomous vehicles fleets in challenging environments.
Source: Leti
In the pilot program, Leti teams will focus on perception requirements and challenges from a lidar system perspective and evaluate the sensors in real-world conditions. Vehicles will be exposed to objects with varying reflectivity, such as tires and street signs, as well as environmental conditions, such as weather, varying daylight light and fog. In addition to evaluating sensor performance, the project will produce a list of criteria and objective parameters by which various commercial lidar systems could be evaluated.
“As an innovative supplier of autonomous transportation vehicles for smart cities, Transdev is leading the procession toward responsive, efficient and safe services with buses and shuttles,” said Leti CEO Emmanuel Sabonnadière. “This project will build on Leti's sensor-fusion knowhow and sensor development expertise to strengthen Transdev’s testing and evaluation of sensors for its vehicles.”
Yann Leriche, Transdev’s CEO North America, said: “Providing the best client experience with the guarantee of safety, security and quality of service, will confirm Transdev as a pioneer in integrating autonomous transport systems into global mobility networks.”
