Velodyne Lidar, Inc. participated as a gold sponsor in the recent Japan Automotive AI Challenge. The university student competition, organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, brought together student teams to compete for artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm accuracy during autonomous driving on test roads.

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At the Japan Automotive AI Challenge, autonomous karts were equipped with Velodyne Puck™ lidar sensors. (Photo: Business Wire)

The challenge, which took place at the University of Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan on March 23-24, 2019, supports education of AI engineers in autonomous vehicle (AV) development. AI algorithms developed by the teams were installed in self-driving motorized karts and used in a test-track competition. Each of the autonomous karts was equipped with Velodyne Puck™ lidar sensors to provide the rich perception data needed for autonomous driving. The team from the University of Tokyo emerged as the competition winner.

“This competition seeks to discover and nurture future engineers with skills in AI technology necessary for autonomous vehicles,” said Dr. Shinpei Kato, Founder & CTO, Tier IV, Inc. “It builds student talents in image recognition technology that are indispensable for AV operation and having Velodyne, the lidar market leader, participate brings invaluable expertise and experience to the participants.”

“Through the Japan Automotive AI Challenge, next generation AI engineers learn how lidar 3D perception empowers autonomous vehicles,” said Wei Weng, Executive Director APAC, Velodyne Lidar. “Velodyne feels privileged to have worked closely with industry, government, and education organizations involved in the challenge to advance the AI skills of these creative engineers so they can contribute to growing the AV industry.”

About Velodyne Lidar

Velodyne provides the smartest, most powerful lidar solutions for autonomy and driver assistance. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Velodyne is known worldwide for its portfolio of breakthrough lidar sensor technologies. In 2005, Velodyne’s Founder and CEO, David Hall, invented real-time surround view lidar systems, revolutionizing perception and autonomy for automotive, new mobility, mapping, robotics, and security. Velodyne’s high-performance product line includes a broad range of sensing solutions, including the cost-effective Puck™, the versatile Ultra Puck™, the perfect for L4-L5 autonomy Alpha Puck™, the ultra-wide angle VelaDome™, the ADAS-optimized Velarray™, and the groundbreaking software for driver assistance, Vella™. To learn more about lidar, please visit Velodyne’s Lidar 101 webpage.

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