Aeva selected by Airbus UpNext to supply LiDAR
The company’s silicon photonics-based 4D LiDAR is among several sensor technologies being tested for automatic taxiing at airports as part of the Airbus UpNext Optimate project
Aeva, a company developing next-generation sensing and perception systems based on silicon photonics, has announced that it has been selected by Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned Airbus subsidiary, to supply its 4D LiDAR technology for the Optimate smart automation demonstrator.
Aeva’s 4D LiDAR technology uses frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) sensing to simultaneously detect precise distance and velocity for each point in a scene, which the company describes as a major advancement over traditional LiDAR systems. According to Aeva, the product can deliver high-resolution data at long ranges of up to 500 metres, making it ideally suited for the complex and dynamic environments of airports, including runways and taxiways.
The Optimate project aims to assist pilots in their mission and to support their decision-making. Several sensor technologies including multiple Aeva 4D LiDAR are being tested on an Airbus A350-1000 flight test aircraft and on an electrical truck during hundreds of hours in taxi operation at Toulouse-Blagnac airport and a more complex international airport.
“Airbus has a proven history of innovation and introducing next-generation technologies to the air transportation industry at scale,” said Soroush Salehian, co-founder and CEO at Aeva. “This collaboration is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the transformative potential of Aeva’s 4D LiDAR technology in the aviation industry. We’re excited to support the Optimate team in their smart automation technologies exploration.”
