Tech Briefs Author Woodrow Bellamy interviewed Omnitron Sensors Co-founder & CEO Eric Aguilar about the evolution of LiDAR sensors in autonomous navigation systems. Eric reveals how long-standing inadequacies in LiDAR sensors–from fragility and performance issues to high cost–have prevented LiDAR sensors from meeting the rigorous demands of the automotive industry. Until now. Omnitron’s new LiDAR sensor solves the problems that have limited LiDAR. Read the article.
The vibe at L’ATTITUDE 2023—the largest business event in the country exploring the ways in which the U.S. Latinx cohort is driving the growth of The New Mainstream Economy—was nothing short of electric. More than 8,000 executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs gathered in Miami to interact with the four L’ATTITUDE partners, Sol Trujillo, Gary Acosta, Emilio Estefan, and Oscar Munoz, each of whom has blazed a path in his chosen profession. Attendees also tuned into a world-class line-up of C-suite speakers from firms such as Accenture, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, NBCUniversal News Group, JP Morgan Chase, United Airlines, and too many others to list here.
L’ATTITUDE 2023 was especially memorable for Omnitron Sensors, which was one of two L’ATTITUDE Ventures’ portfolio companies selected for a booth activation during the event. Omnitron Sensors CEO Eric Aguilar and the Omnitron team showcased the company’s LiDAR sensor technology through a VR demo designed to show event attendees how LiDAR augments environments to enhance the accuracy and safety of autonomous robotic systems.
Eric’s story as a Latino entrepreneur who co-founded a chip company also caught the attention of CNBC’s Squawk Box. Catch his interview here.
One day in the not-too-distant future, Omnitron’s LiDAR sensors will present a 3D environment that’s safer and more affordable for autonomous navigation/operation in cars and delivery drones, in VR gear, in industrial robots, and in other complex electronic devices that need superior machine vision.
Curious how Omnitron Sensors is reinventing LiDAR sensors? Contact us today.
MEMS IP company works with premier MEMS foundry to commercialize first product
LOS ANGELES—September 7, 2023 — Omnitron Sensors, the pioneer in MEMS sensing technology for high-volume, low-cost markets, today announced that it will work with Silex Microsystems on the manufacture of its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner for LiDAR.
“We’re seeing massive demand for low-cost and reliable LiDAR from manufacturers of automotive ADAS, drones and other robotic systems,´ said Eric Aguilar, co-founder and CEO, Omnitron Sensors. “Our selection of Silex Microsystems—which is the world’s largest pure-play MEMS foundry—signifies our market-readiness to deliver the first MEMS scanner that meets the accuracy, reliability, size, cost and volume requirements of LiDAR in diverse applications.”
Solving MEMS manufacturing challenges
Manufacturing MEMS devices is notoriously difficult. Problems with size, reliability, durability and repeatability—and the fact that process technology is unique for each new MEMS device—make MEMS manufacturing expensive and slow design-to-delivery cycles. Omnitron’s core IP solves these challenges. As a new topology for MEMS, Omnitron’s IP rearranges manufacturing processes and supports them with new packaging techniques. This speeds volume production of a wide range of small, low-cost, precise MEMS sensors—from scanning mirrors and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to microphones, pressure sensors, and telecom switches.
“Omnitron’s new topology for MEMS—which features the clever rearrangement of silicon process steps and a new packaging method—is a major step forward for the microelectronics industry because it mitigates the manufacturing complexity that has limited the growth of MEMS to date,” said Aguilar. “By leveraging the standard tools and processes already found in the Silex fab, Omnitron clears the way for robust, reliable and affordable MEMS devices that are delivered to market quickly and at high volume.
For more information
To learn more about Omnitron Sensors, please contact us by email: info@omnitronsensors.com or via the Omnitron website.
About Omnitron Sensors
Founded in 2019 by a core group of MEMS industry innovators, Omnitron Sensors has invented a new topology for MEMS—IP that improves device performance and reliability, and that streamlines assembly to produce MEMS sensors for price-sensitive, high-volume markets. Learn more at https://omnitronsensors.com.
The Omnitron Sensors logo is a registered trademark of Omnitron Sensors. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Eric Aguilar, Omnitron Sensors
Email: eric[at]omnitronsensors.com
Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications
Email: maria[at]vetrano.com
The optical scanner is at the heart of the perception systems we’re increasingly using in cars, in drones, and in virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR)/mixed-reality (MR) headsets. In automotive, we may see a combination of cameras, LiDAR and radar used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as automatic braking, lane-departure warnings, and collision avoidance. That’s typically the case for autonomous navigation in cars and drones as well. The optical systems in VR/AR/MR headsets feature a display—such as an OLED or LED, and cameras; and one day soon LiDAR may augment or replace those cameras. Whatever their underlying scanning technology, perception systems require micro-optical components that are accurate, reliable, affordable and available in mass-production volumes.
With so many different types of micro-optical components available for perception systems, how can designers choose the best components for their specific applications? As with any important engineering decision, you have to balance what’s most important to your customer.
Chances are, you’re looking for a compelling set of features at an affordable price point.
If you’re designing perception systems for ADAS, autonomous navigation or AR/VR/MR, it’s time to start looking at the next generation of LiDAR sensor. Because the LiDAR of old—fragile, large, expensive, susceptible to environmental conditions, and difficult to maintain—is a thing of the past. Leveraging a new topology for MEMS, Omnitron Sensors is introducing a small, low-cost, rugged and reliable step-scanning sensor for LiDAR. Omnitron’s MEMS step-scanning sensor makes a world of a difference in autonomous navigation—interpreting the real-world physical environment that a car perceives in 3D, not 2D.
And that’s just scanning the surface of what Omnitron Sensors can do. Its next-gen LiDAR sensor perceives the environment accurately in all lighting and weather conditions. It can decipher between stationary and moving objects, is immune to high-vibration and temperature variation, and it’s affordable in mass-production quantities.
Learn more about Omnitron’s MEMS step-scanning sensor for LiDAR at Micro Optics 2023, a virtual conference that takes place August 1-3, 2023.
Omnitron Sensors Co-founder & CEO Eric Aguilar will present “Transforming Optical Scanning: MEMS Topology for Low-Cost, Small, and High-Performance Scanners,” at 12:15 p.m. EDT on August 3, 2023.
There’s still time to register. Or, if you’re not able to attend Micro Optics 2023, please email Omnitron Sensors today.
