Velodyne and GrayMatter Establish Distribution Partnership for Lidar Point Cloud Visualization Software
Morgan Hill, CA (May 8, 2009) -- Velodyne Lidar, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high definition lidar sensors, and GrayMatter Inc., a provider of integrated software and hardware solutions for autonomous motor vehicles, announced today that Velodyne will distribute the GrayMatter Visionary™ point cloud visualization software. Velodyne will include a trial version of Visionary with each shipment of a Velodyne HDL-64E S2 lidar sensor.
The full version of Visionary, available for purchase directly from GrayMatter, provides a rich, user-configurable 3D point cloud view of the data points from the Velodyne sensor. The software displays the distance points as well as the return intensity. Advanced features for obstacle identification (wire framing), point size manipulation, and other functions are also available.
"Our collaboration with GrayMatter, which began at the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, has resulted in an excellent visualization tool for our point cloud data," said Bruce Hall, president of Velodyne. "GrayMatter has taken it a step further with their obstacle detection capability, demonstrating the capability of the HDL-64E S2 in autonomous vehicle applications."
Originally developed for the DARPA Grand Challenge race of autonomous vehicles, the HDL-64E S2 provides a rich point cloud of accurate distance information to build a 3D model of the environment around the sensor, suitable for obstacle detection in autonomous vehicles and 3D mobile mapping. GrayMatter developed its software as a part of its Team Gray entry in the Urban Challenge, where it was a semifinalist.
“The Visionary software perfectly complements Velodyne’s high definition lidar sensors,” stated Eric Gray, president of GrayMatter. “Together we will enable our customers to leverage the innovation, expertise and strength of both companies and deliver an unprecedented value for autonomous vehicles.”
About GrayMatter, Inc.
GrayMatter, Inc. provides integrated software and hardware solutions that facilitate autonomous operation of motor vehicles. The GrayMatter AVS™ integrates with virtually any commercially available environmental sensors and GPS systems to allow the vehicle to navigate a selected route while dynamically avoiding obstacles and obeying traffic laws as would a human driver. GrayMatter was founded in 2005 to participate in the DARPA Grand Challenge, a 132 mile race across the desert in which it was the fourth-finishing team, and was semi-finalist in the 2007 Urban Challenge. For additional information, navigate to www.graymatterinc.com.
About Velodyne
Velodyne Lidar, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high definition lidar sensors. Headquartered in Morgan Hill, California, the company’s HDL-64E sensor is used in a variety of military and commercial autonomous vehicle applications as well as 3-D mapping, surveying and other applications. For more information visit www.velodyne.com/lidar.
Velodyne Contact:
Ann Gargiulo, 408-465-2817
agargiulo@velodyne.com
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