Photonics advance could enable compact, high-performance lidar sensors

Advancements in photonics may lead to the development of compact, high-performance lidar sensors. Lidar systems utilize pulses of infrared light to measure distance and create high-resolution 3D maps, enabling autonomous vehicles to quickly respond to obstacles. However, traditional lidar sensors are characterized as expensive, bulky, and comprised of many moving parts that can degrade over time, which restricts their deployment.