Shift Magazine - May 2021 - 5

SHORT BYTES

LOOKING
SKYWARD
Luminar and Airbus to test lidar's sensing potential for aircraft

A

irbus is exploring the potential of
using technology from lidar tech
company Luminar to augment the
sensing capabilities of aircraft.
The companies are starting with a helicopter demonstrator project unveiled in
April.
The collaboration with Airbus UpNext,
the future-looking subsidiary of the aviation giant, marks Luminar's first effort
beyond the automotive industry.
While there are no plans for production
yet, Airbus believes the sensors may provide pilots with a better understanding of

Luminar and Airbus UpNext unveiled their
helicopter demonstrator project in April.

nearby obstacles.
For Luminar, Airbus represented an
established partner.

For Airbus, the lidar maker represented
a chance to inject innovation at startup
speed.
" It's an industry that has been working
with legacy technology from a sensing
standpoint, " Luminar CEO Austin Russell
said.
" They haven't seen any kind of breakthrough in decades. If you can leverage all
the stuff we're doing for the autonomous
vehicle world and directly apply it there,
which you can in this case, it makes total
sense. "
- Pete Bigelow

NEW HEIGHTS FOR
BMW'S eDRIVE TECH

P

rofessional wingsuit pilot
Peter Salzmann soars over
the alps in his native Austria
using an electrified wingsuit by
BMW i. The scene was captured for
a November 2020 video to promote

IN THE

LOOP
SHIFT

Vol. 4, Issue 2

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the automaker's eDrive technology. An electric twin-propeller drive
system, including an energy storage
unit, were integrated into the front
of the suit. Salzmann jumped from a
helicopter traveling at 10,000 feet. n

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may 2021 * shift

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5

5/17/21 11:46 AM
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Shift Magazine - May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - May 2021
