Sub-$200 Lidar could reshuffle auto sensor economics

Post by zorked » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 10:23 AM UTC

rfv6723 wrote: post #89

oblio wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And, I guess, even more advanced surveillance.

Humanity has never known a world without surveillance. Responsibility cannot exist without being watched. Primitive tribes lived under the constant eye of the group, and agricultural eras relied on the strict oversight of the clan. Modern states simply adopted new tools for an ancient necessity. A society without monitoring is a society without accountability, which only leads to the Hobbesian trap of endless conflic…

Post by qznc » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC

keyKeeper wrote: post #84

There are laser measurers sold for a few buck on Temu. Robot vacuums sold for few hundred dollars have Lidars that map out the room in a seconds. Is there any actual technical reason why automobile Lidar be expensive? Just combine visual processing with single point sampler that will feed points of interest and accurate model of the surroundings will be built.

Post by small_model » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 10:28 AM UTC

UltraSane wrote: post #86

small_model wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like Waymo? ( https://dmnews.co.uk/waymo-robotaxi-spotted-unable-to-cross-... ) 17 years after betting the farm on LIDAR the solution fails to navigate a puddle. Sorry but they bet on the wrong technology, Tesla has overtaken them with multi camera and NN solution.

Your conclusion from a single incident is a bad inference. One vehicle getting confused by a puddle (likely a sensor fusion edge case or mapping artifact, not a fundamental LIDAR failure) doesn't indict the technology. Tesla's cameras have produces vastly more failures. Waymo has driven tens of millions of autonomous miles with a serious injury/fatality rate dramatically lower than human drivers. The actual data show…

Post by jcattle » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 10:29 AM UTC

UltraSane wrote: post #73

small_model wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also 'Luminar Technologies, a prominent U.S. lidar manufacturer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2025' LIDAR is useful in a small set of scenarios (calibration and validation) but do not bet the farm on it or make it the centre piece of your sensor suite.

This is very wrong. LIDAR scanners have revolutionized surveying by enabling rapid, high-precision 3D mapping of terrain and infrastructure, capturing millions of data points per second. LIDAR can penetrate dense vegetation, allowing accurate, ground-level, mapping in forested or obstructed areas. Drone mounted LIDAR has become very popular. Tripod mounted LIDAR scanners are very commonly used on construction sites.…

Post by foepys » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 10:29 AM UTC

qznc wrote: post #93

keyKeeper wrote: post #84

There are laser measurers sold for a few buck on Temu. Robot vacuums sold for few hundred dollars have Lidars that map out the room in a seconds. Is there any actual technical reason why automobile Lidar be expensive? Just combine visual processing with single point sampler that will feed points of interest and accurate model of the surroundings will be built.

I know that automotive parts of the standard requirement to withstand 80°C (or 120°C for military use). A robot vacuum working in a living room can probably be made cheaper because it does not have to face as harsh environments? Also, range is probably a factor. In a living room, you probably need something like 20m max. You car should "see" farther.