Smarter Cars, Higher Stakes


Artificial intelligence is turbocharging automotive innovation, but it's also unleashing a tangle of high stakes risks that engineers and security experts are scrambling to contain. The push to embed AI deep into today’s vehicles is changing how cars are built, how they handle the road, and how they keep passengers safe. But as onboard intelligence expands, so do the risks. AI systems that... » read more

Photonics Could Reduce The Cost Of Lidar


Using light to move data over shorter distances is becoming more common, both because there is much more data to move around and because photons are faster and cooler than electrons. Using optical fiber for mission-critical communication is already well established. It has been the preferred PHY for long-haul communications for decades because it doesn’t suffer from the attenuation losses ... » read more

Sensor Requirements For Developing Robust Environment Perception Systems


In recent years, sensor systems for environment perception have become increasingly important – whether for adaptive robotics, automated driving, industrial process and quality control, or condition monitoring. The aim is always to detect and interpret certain environmental characteristics. In doing so, it’s important to choose not only the right algorithm but also the right sensor or senso... » read more

Silicon Photonics Manufacturing Ramps Up


Circuit scaling is starting to hit a wall as the laws of physics clash with exponential increases in the volume of data, forcing chipmakers to take a much closer look at silicon photonics as a way of moving data from where it is collected to where it is processed and stored. The laws of physics are immutable. Put simply, there are limits to how fast an electron can travel through copper. The... » read more

Fabless Approach To Embed Active Nanophotonics in Bulk CMOS By Co-Designing The BEOL Layers For Optical Functionality (MIT)


A technical paper titled “Metal-Optic Nanophotonic Modulators in Standard CMOS Technology” was published by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Abstract: "Integrating nanophotonics with electronics promises revolutionary applications ranging from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to holographic displays. Although semiconductor manufacturing of nanophotonics in Silicon ... » read more

Physical Removal Attack On LiDAR Sensors And Mitigation Strategies


A technical paper titled "You Can't See Me: Physical Removal Attacks on LiDAR-based Autonomous Vehicles Driving Frameworks" was published by researchers at University of Michigan, University of Florida and the University of Electro-Communications (Japan). This paper was included at the recent 32nd USENIX Security Symposium. Abstract: "Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) increasingly use LiDAR-base... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Hyundai, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and others invested a combined $100 million in Canada-based Tenstorrent to accelerate the design and development of AI chiplets and machine-learning software and allow the integration of AI into future Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis vehicles, plus other future mobilities such as robotics and advanced air mobility (AAM). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administr... » read more

Automotive Lidar: Softening The Trade-off Between Ambiguity Range And Speed 


A technical paper titled “Overcoming the limitations of 3D sensors with wide field of view metasurface-enhanced scanning lidar” was published by researchers at Université Côte d’Azur and CRHEA. Abstract: "Lidar, a technology at the heart of autonomous driving and robotic mobility, performs 3D imaging of a complex scene by measuring the time of flight of returning light p... » read more

Confusion Grows Over Sensor Fusion In Autos


A key strategy for fully autonomous vehicles is the ability to fuse together inputs from multiple sensors, which is essential for making safe and secure decisions, but it's turning out to be much harder than first imagined. There are multiple problems that need to be solved, including how to partition, prioritize, and ultimately combine different types of data, and how to architect the proce... » read more

How Many Sensors For Autonomous Driving?


With the cost of sensors ranging from $15 to $1,000, carmakers are beginning to question how many sensors are needed for vehicles to be fully autonomous at least part of the time. Those sensors are used to collect data about the surrounding environment, and they include image, lidar, radar, ultrasonic, and thermal sensors. One type of sensor is not sufficient, because each has its limitation... » read more

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