Waymo Will Stop Selling Its Self-Driving LiDAR Sensors To Other Companies (techcrunch.com) 9
Just months after a CEO shakeup, Waymo is officially halting sales of its custom sensors to third parties. TechCrunch reports: The move sees the Alphabet-owned self-driving company unwinding a business operation just two years into its lifespan. Waymo confirmed the decision to Reuters, adding that it's now focusing on deploying its Waymo Driver tech across its Waymo One ride-hailing and Waymo Via trucking divisions. [...] Waymo began selling LiDARs -- the tech that measures distance with pulses of laser light -- to companies barring its autonomous vehicle rivals in 2019. It initially planned to sell its short-range sensor (known as Laser Bear Honeycomb) to businesses in the robotics, security and agricultural technology sectors. A form on its website also lists drones, mapping and entertainment as applicable industries.
Waymo's fifth-generation Driver technology uses an array of sensors -- including radar, lidar, and cameras -- to help its cars "see" 360 degrees during the day and night, and even in tough weather conditions such as rain or fog. While its simulated and real world driving tests have helped it to amass a massive dataset that is crunched using machine learning-based software. According to anonymous sources cited by Reuters, Waymo intends to use in-house tech and external suppliers for its next-gen LiDARs.
Waymo's fifth-generation Driver technology uses an array of sensors -- including radar, lidar, and cameras -- to help its cars "see" 360 degrees during the day and night, and even in tough weather conditions such as rain or fog. While its simulated and real world driving tests have helped it to amass a massive dataset that is crunched using machine learning-based software. According to anonymous sources cited by Reuters, Waymo intends to use in-house tech and external suppliers for its next-gen LiDARs.
Right (Score:2)
These are patented, right? So no one else can make them, even if they wanted to?
Re: (Score:2)
These are patented, right? So no one else can make them, even if they wanted to?
Lidar has been around for 60 years, so no, it is not patented.
There may be some patents specific to Waymo's design, but others can make their own designs.
Re: (Score:2)
I think you are missing the problem Waymo is having.
They are saying that their technology is "ready" [1] and that they can't make new cars as fast as they want to conquer the world. They don't care if others use the technology, as long as others don't cause them a bottle neck in some recourse pool. Waymo doesn't even think that they have competition, because there are no other companies providing autonomous (as they want to call it) cars for end users.
I am personally waiting to see what kind of growth they
Re: (Score:2)
They were hoping that a larger market would bring prices down. They have now reached the point where either the price is low enough that they don't need that market, or their next gen lidar is special enough that it's worth keeping it to themselves, or both.
It wouldn't surprise me if their next gen lidar is quite special in some way. They are so far ahead of everyone else it's quite likely that they have identified some important improvement that others just aren't at a stage where they can even see the nee
Umm... Maybe just the global supply chain crunch? (Score:2)
Among other reasons, it could just be that Google can't get their components. Same as the rest of us.
Innovation (Score:2)
Re:Innovation (Score:4, Interesting)
Elon Musk initially thought LiDAR was a bad idea but softened his position as costs dropped
Tesla still isn't using LIDAR, they just added more cameras... which ironically can't be retrofit onto older vehicles as easily as LIDAR could.
IOW (Score:2)
They can't get enough chips.
Self driving? Sensors? (Score:2)
Where are those self-driving sensors supposed to be driving? Around the office?