Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Motors will establish the Hyundai Motor Group-KAIST On-Chip LiDAR Lab (the Lab) at KAIST in Daejeon to develop lidar sensors for advanced autonomous vehicles. The lab aims to develop high-performance, small-sized on-chip sensors and new signal detection technologies that are essential in the increasingly competitive autonomous driving market. On-chip sensors are semiconductor technology that adds various functions to lidar, making it possible to miniaturise lidar and secure competitive pricing through mass production using semiconductor processes. In addition, while current autonomous driving sensors measure the distance to an object by measuring the time it takes to emit and return light, the next-generation signal detection technology, frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW), detects distance by measuring the difference in frequency between the emitted and returned light. It is less noisy than conventional signals, can even calculate the relative speed of objects, and can exclude interference from external light sources such as sunlight, making it relatively advantageous in bad weather conditions. The joint lab will consist of a team of about 30 researchers from Hyundai-Kia Advanced Institute of Advanced Technology and KAIST's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, including Professors Sang-Hyun Kim, Sang-Sik Kim, Wan-Young Jung, and Hamza Kurt, and will be operated for four years until 2028. KAIST will undertake detailed research in each research team's specific area of expertise, such as ▲ developing small on-chip lidar devices based on silicon photonics (photonic semiconductors) ▲ manufacturing high-speed, high-power drive integrated circuits (ICs) for driving lidar ▲ designing and verifying lidar system optimisation. Hyundai-Kia will oversee the operation of the joint research lab with Hyundai ENG, a specialist in industry-academia collaboration, and will spare no effort in identifying technology trends, providing research directions, and recommending technologies and experts to derive key ideas and strengthen research capabilities. "We expect to advance the era of fully autonomous driving through the collaboration of Hyundai-Kia, which is leading the way in autonomous driving technology, and KAIST, which has the world's most advanced technology," said an official from Hyundai-Kia. "We will do our best to support the joint research lab so that it can produce tangible results." "The lidar sensor, which is the eye of the car, is a key technology for the future development of autonomous vehicle technology, and it is essential for automakers to internalise the technology," said Kim Sang-hyun, head of the joint research lab at KAIST. "The establishment of the joint research lab at a critical time will enable us to lay the foundation for leading lidar-related technologies."
Article by Roadtest Editorial (dhseo1208@gmail.com)Photo by Hyundai Motor Company