Lumotive and Lattice Semiconductor announce their collaboration on a revolutionary platform for advanced 3D sensing. At Lattice DevCon 2024, the companies will showcase how their combined technologies transform the landscape of industrial automation, robotics, and autonomous mobility.
At the heart of this innovation is the seamless integration of Lattice’s FPGA into Lumotive’s Light Control Metasurface (LCM™) beam-steering chip module. This collaboration pairs Lumotive’s solid-state beam-steering technology with Lattice’s advanced field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to deliver precise, scalable, and efficient solutions for real-world applications.
“By embedding Lattice’s FPGA into our beam-steering chip module, we’re not just advancing 3D sensing—we’re unlocking the full potential of 3D perception,” said Dr. Sam Heidari, CEO of Lumotive. “This collaboration sets a new standard for precision, scalability, and efficiency, giving developers the tools to innovate faster and tackle the most pressing challenges in industrial and autonomous applications.”
Why Software-Defined Adaptability Matters
The MD42 module, enabled by this integration, brings software-defined sensing that allows systems to adjust to changing environments in real-time. Advanced features like dynamic Regions of Interest (ROI), HDR, and Foveation offer unparalleled flexibility for tailored use cases:
Dynamic ROI: Prioritizing Critical Areas
In an automated warehouse, a robotic forklift maneuvers through aisles populated with moving elements, including workers and various equipment. The dynamic ROI allows the sensing system to focus on nearby human workers and essential machinery, while giving less priority to stationary shelving or far-off items. This approach guarantees safety and operational efficiency without burdening the system with extraneous data.
HDR (High Dynamic Range): Addressing Lighting Challenges
Envision an autonomous vehicle transitioning from a tunnel into bright sunlight. Conventional sensors frequently have difficulty maintaining precision amid such swift lighting shifts. HDR sensing adapts in real time, ensuring visibility and allowing the vehicle to swiftly identify pedestrians or other vehicles, even in difficult conditions.
Foveation: Focusing on Precision Tasks
In the realm of industrial automation, a robotic arm tasked with assembling electronics must achieve precision at its designated location. Foveation enables the sensing system to focus high-resolution data on the specific assembly point, while employing lower resolution for the surrounding areas, thus enhancing performance and conserving resources.
Integration with Lattice FPGA
Lattice’s FPGA drives the MD42 module’s beam-steering functionality, enabling:
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Real-time data processing for fast decision-making.
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Scalable and efficient, ideal for various industrial uses.
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Simplified development, reducing complexity and accelerating time-to-market.
Transforming the Future of 3D Perception
The demo, scheduled for December 10-11, will showcase these capabilities with a focus on:
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Outdoor Sensing Precision: Accurate detection up to 80 meters, with robust performance at 40 meters in sunlight, operating at 20 Hz FPS.
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Wide Field of View: Spanning 120° x 90° for comprehensive coverage.
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Dynamic Region of Interest Modes: Empowering precise object detection with user-controlled adaptability.
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Seamless Interface Compatibility: Supports MIPI/USB and can be easily bridged to Ethernet via Lattice FPGA.
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Dynamic Adaptability: Real-time adjustments tailored to diverse use cases.
Built for Speed
Leveraging the success of Lumotive’s MD42 Development Kit, this partnership shortens development timelines from 18 months to 3-6 months. This allows developers to implement customized solutions more rapidly while preserving flexibility.