Israeli start-up Innoviz Technologies has strengthened its collaboration with BMW and is in the midst of developing an advanced new radar system that will enable Level 3 automated driving functions on a “broad range of future vehicles.”
The two companies have been working together for quite a few years now and later this year, new self-driving features will be introduced on the 7-Series thanks to the Innoviz LiDAR system. Innoviz is now reading its second-generation LiDAR sensor that will be introduced with a B-sample phase where it will be installed and tested in demo vehicles from BMW.
Read: VW To Buy $4 Billion Worth Of Self-Driving Tech From Israel’s Innoviz
It is hoped that a successful B-sample phase will allow BMW to decide on a serial development agreement with the Israeli company to introduce its latest LiDAR systems into future models.
“LiDAR is one of the critical technologies underpinning Level 3 or even higher automated functions,” senior vice president of Driving Experience at BMW Group Nicolai Martin said. “Optimizing LiDAR technologies and costs are the major challenges in order to bring Level 3 highly automated driving into the mainstream. We are very pleased to have Innoviz develop the first B-Samples of this new LiDAR generation and hope that the results of the B-Sample phase create a basis for a possible future extension of our collaboration.”
In addition to their work on LiDAR systems, Innoviz and BMW are working on a Minimal Risk Maneuver system that will serve as a secondary safety driving decision platform based on the InnovizTwo LiDAR to manage real-time driving decisions.
“From our work with the BMW Group over the past several years, we know that they operate with some of the highest standards in the automotive industry,” Innoviz co-founder and chief executive Omer Keilaf said. “We are excited to begin this new project on the second-generation LiDAR solution by working on the B-samples. BMW is at the forefront of ADAS technology, and we could not be more thrilled to have an opportunity to become an integral part of the next stage of its journey.”
