Velodyne LiDAR Sponsors SAE International AutoDrive Challenge™

The AutoDrive Challenge™ is a three-year program that challenges student engineering teams from elite university programs to test autonomous technologies and develop Level 4 autonomous vehicles. Each year of the program, SAE will host a competition among participating student groups, culminating in a final competition that tasks the vehicles with navigating an urban driving course.

Velodyne is providing up to two VLP-16 Puck sensors to each student team, along with technical support from engineers. The VLP-16 is an advanced 3D LiDAR sensor with low power consumption and a small form factor that can be easily integrated into autonomous vehicles. LiDAR is acknowledged as an important sensing technology for autonomous vehicles and advanced safety systems, so it will be key in helping student teams field competitive vehicles.

"Velodyne is honored to sponsor SAE International's AutoDrive Challenge™ as a technology provider," said David Hall, Founder and CEO, Velodyne LiDAR. "Autonomous cars are the world's next critical engineering challenge, and it is a unique privilege to work with SAE to ensure students have access to LiDAR sensors, a key technology in addressing this challenge."

Earlier this year, SAE formally reviewed proposals from universities and accepted eight teams for participation. Along with a Chevy Bolt EV as the platform vehicle, the university teams will receive components from strategic partners like Velodyne to aid in their technology development. Throughout the AutoDrive Challenge™ competition cycle, students and faculty are invited to attend workshops to help refine concepts and increase overall technical understanding of autonomous technology.

"SAE is very excited to welcome Velodyne to the AutoDrive Challenge™ as an official equipment supplier," said Chris Ciuca, Director of Pre-Professional Education at SAE International. "Velodyne's partnership provides students with the vital resources necessary to accomplish the demanding goals of the competition."

Velodyne invented and patented the world's first 3D real-time LiDAR sensor for autonomous vehicles. Over the last ten years, Velodyne sensors have been installed in thousands of vehicles around the world, traveling millions of real-world miles. Velodyne is the industry standard for localization and environmental perception, providing the core technology for dozens of autonomous vehicle programs in over 10 countries.

About Velodyne LiDAR
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Velodyne is a technology company known worldwide for its real-time 3D LiDAR sensors. The company evolved after founder/inventor David Hall developed the HDL-64 Solid-State Hybrid LiDAR sensor in 2005. Since then, Velodyne LiDAR Inc. emerged as the unmatched market leader of real-time 3D vision systems used in a variety of commercial applications including autonomous vehicles, vehicle safety systems, mobile mapping, aerial mapping, and security. Its products range from the high-performance, surround view Ultra-Puck™ VLP-32, classic HDL-32/64 and cost-effective VLP-16, to the upcoming, hidden Velarray™. Velodyne's rich suite of perception software and algorithms are the key enablers of its perception systems. Velodyne supports customers from offices in San Jose, Detroit, Frankfurt, and Beijing. For more information, visit http://www.velodynelidar.com.

Velodyne LiDAR Media Contact
Andrew Hussey, Communications Director
[email protected] 
(408) 966-5078

SOURCE Velodyne LiDAR Inc.

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