A laser point cloud image generated from a Luminar lidar sensor in testing by AID in Munich, Germany. ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENTLed by 23-year-old optics savant Austin Russell, Luminar started supplying its sensors and other technology to Audi’s Autonomous Intelligent Driving in 2017, though the companies are only now revealing their alliance. Luminar previously said it supplies lidar sensors to Toyota Research Institute and Volvo, which is also an investor, as well as more than a dozen other automakers and autonomous tech programs – including Audi’s AID. As of November sales of Luminar sensors were generating “eight-figure” annual revenue, the company said. Luminar also doesn’t provide pricing details for its long-range lidar units, though competitors’ models cost multiple thousands of dollars each.

Source: Forbes December 18, 2018 07:52 UTC