The driverless vehicle of the near(ish) future will be a car loaded with sensors. Cameras, radar, and laser-based lidar will become as common to cars as chrome accents and elaborately designed headlights. But unlike those design features, the hardware of autonomy probably won’t look so good—bumping off from the corners like warts, poking out of the roof like a cartoon police siren, or even moving and winking like literal cartoon googly eyes…
Luminar has a solution. In collaboration with Volvo, the automotive technology company has created a long-range lidar system that underpins autonomous driving while also sleekly integrating into the shape and silhouette of the car. Almost invisible, the device sits within the car’s roofline, providing an overhead view of the road ahead that can detect objects and hazards nearly 1,000 feet away. The device will come standard in the 2024 Volvo EX90, and could soon be blending into the roofs of other vehicles around the world.