Automotive Engineering - March 2023 - 6

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
Lumotive's proprietary
technology enables VOI that
can be effortlessly changed.
ELECTRIFICATION
Brunswick launches
all-electric marine
outboard
costs, speeding innovation and improving
user experience.
But despite improvements made in
the areas of cost, size, and reliability,
there have been unacceptable tradeoffs
in the areas of range, resolution and field
of view (FoV). One lidar-enabling technology
that its developers assert ticks all
the boxes is an optical semiconductor
from Lumotive. The company calls it a
Light Control Metasurface (LCM).
At the core of the Lumotive microchip
is a patented metamaterial, one with
'smart' properties capable of blocking,
absorbing, enhancing, or bending electromagnetic
waves to achieve sensing performance
exceeding that of conventional
materials. The Lumotive chip's scalable,
solid-state 3D sensing architecture uses
patented beam-steering technology (no
moving parts) to deliver a combination of
best-in-class performance, cost, reliability
and size, according to Dr. Sam Heidari,
Lumotive CEO. And with zero mechanical
inertia, Lumotive's LCMs enable steering
of light in any pattern across the entire
field of view within microseconds.
" I can change my VOI (vision of interest)
as I please, " Heidari told SAE Media
at CES 2023. " I can define how I want
to look at the world. If I want high resolution
as one VOI, I can do that. " And if
high frame rate as a VOI is desired, " I
can do that, too. You can only do that
with our technology. "
The Lumotive chip is the key component
of the company's Open Lidar API
(application programming interface), a
technology aimed at leading the industry
towards scalable, ubiquitous and
lower-cost 3D sensing based on Lidar
2.0 technology. According to Heidari,
more than two dozen companies currently
are evaluating the LCM technology.
It has applications beyond mobility
Lidar 2.0, including communications,
computation, photography and holographic
displays, he added.
The path to fitting lidar for mass-produced
vehicles remains in flux. Volvo
recently unveiled its EX90 EV highlighting
lidar sensing developed by Luminar;
unlike Lumotive's solid-state design,
Luminar's lidar, known as Iris, is considered
" semi-solid-state, " its scanning
mode using larger 'macro' scanning
mirrors rather than MEMS' micro mirrors.
Iris's light source is a 1550-nm fiber
laser, the longer wavelength (vs. more
typical 905-nm shorter-wavelength lasers)
being harmless to the human eye.
The lidar's receiver uses indium gallium
Lumotive said
its new chip enables a
olid-state Lidar system with
best-in-class performance, cost and size.
6 March 2023
arsenide (InGaAs) microchip technology
rather than silicon. Claimed resolution is
greater than 300 points per square degree.
Luminar's Iris uses pulsed, time of
flight (ToF) target illumination that
Luminar engineers claim delivers an exceptionally
fast measurement rate, an
immediate understanding of reflectance
and no speed-dependent range error.
John Dinkel
The Avator outboards all feature batteries that
can be easily interchanged.
Brunswick Corp. made several product
announcements at CES 2023 in Las Vegas.
The company showcased its electrification
efforts for recreational boats under their
Mercury Marine brand with the launch of
Avator 7.5e electric outboard.
" We are excited to formally introduce
the Avator 7.5e electric outboard to the
world, " said Chris Drees, Mercury Marine
president. " As the innovation leader in
the marine industry, both in internal
combustion products and now electric
propulsion, we have the resources and
knowledge to make boating more accessible
to more people, while building
on our commitment to sustainability. "
Mercury is billing their Avator line as
" the next step forward in marine innovation. "
The 7.5e model unveiled at CES
will be the first in a series of electric
outboards. The company also displayed
a pair of higher-output concept outboards,
the 20e and 35e. The full Avator
line reportedly will hit the open water
for public sale later this year.
The 7.5e is rated at 750W of power at
the prop shaft, which corelates to roughly
the same output and performance as
a Mercury 3.5-hp FourStroke outboard. It
is available with a tiller or remote steering
and is intended for use in small boats
such as tenders, inflatables and kayaks.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: LUMOTIVE; BRUNSWICK; LUMOTIVE
Automotive Engineering - March 2023

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