According to reports, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore has made a technological breakthrough in the field of laser radar research, or reduced the cost of the autopilot core component to 1/200. In addition, the size of the technology product is only the size of the fingertip.
The green laser pointer radar is more susceptible to damage than tires due to the mechanical moving parts of the lidar.
Today, NTU researchers have discovered that silicon chips can be used to replace diodes. They also use the ductility of germanium, which is commonly used as a transistor, the first luminescence material that scientists have found to be compatible with silicon.
At present, even the cheapest conventional lidar sensor is priced at 10,000 Singapore dollars (about 7345.9 US dollars), while the cost of solid-state laser radar microchips is only 50 Singapore dollars (about 36.7 USD) (in the case of commercialization).
When researchers use the new technology to achieve mass production of the laser radar chip, its market price is 50 Singapore dollars, which will provide new business opportunities for many small companies planning to develop autopilot technology.
Until now, even conventional Lidars have been sold at too high a price, and many companies have been forced to skip the device when they choose equipment.
Another benefit of this laser radar microchip is its excellent image quality and high resolution, which is mainly due to the green laser pointer density of the chip, and its image response speed is also faster.
This technology breaks or lowers the cost of green laser pointer technology, shortens its development cycle and improves its reliability. For example, the lidar microchip can be installed on a drone and may be used as a mobile phone chip in the future.
Dr. Tan Chuan Seng, vice president of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who is responsible for the R&D project, said: "The chip has many potential applications to replace wireless network technology with visible light communication (LiFi)."
The project is being commercialized by the National Research Foundation in Singapore and may be commercialized in the next five years.