Outsight has announced the launch of an ITS-specific version of its award-winning flagship product: the Augmented LiDAR Box (ALB). This is the first real-time LiDAR software engine that allows ITS and smart infrastructure application developers and integrators to seamlessly use LiDAR data from any hardware supplier.

The solution comes in the shape of a small computing device. Created as a turnkey solution, the ALB leverages the unique value of 3D spatial intelligence while avoiding the complexity of processing 3D data in real time. As an LiDAR-agnostic solution, it also saves companies the hassle of assessing and choosing the most appropriate LiDAR for each use case. LiDAR can now be easily used in vehicle counting, pedestrian monitoring and many other use cases.

This first-of-its-kind product follows through a validation process across several different regions (USA, Europe, Asia) and user profiles (market-leading corporates, start-ups and universities), as well as strategic partnership agreements and collaborations with some of the most prominent LiDAR suppliers in the USA and Asia, including Velodyne, Ouster, Hesai, and Robosense.

Turning any LiDAR into a spatial intelligence device

The Augmented LiDAR Box is the first LiDAR pre-processor: a real-time software engine that turns any LiDAR into a spatial intelligence device. It overcomes the complexity of using RAW 3D data, so any application developer or integrator can efficiently use LiDAR without needing to become a 3D LiDAR expert.

To provide a seamless integration, the augmented LiDAR software engine is delivered in a convenient LiDAR-agnostic plug & play edge computing device: the Augmented LiDAR Box (ALB). The ALB provides a comprehensive set of features that are commonly required in smart infrastructure applications, such as object ID and tracking, and segmentation and classification. Because it only requires an ARM CPU and its AI does not rely on machine learning, the solution is power-efficient and does not require training.

Smart infrastructure applications

The ALB is suitable for a range of end-user applications from various LiDAR suppliers. As such, integrators and solution providers are not constrained by the limitations of specific sensors. This is especially useful in ITS applications such as smart Intersections. Here, different types of LiDAR and other sensors can be combined thanks to Outsight pre-processing, where the merged 3D data of each sensor is delivered in an open and standardized data format regardless of the LiDAR type and model.

The launch of ALB for ITS follows the successful deployment of Outsight’s technology at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, to provide accurate real-time monitoring of the flow of people, while preserving private data.

Outsight’s LiDAR-based processing solutions enable systems to perceive, understand and interact with their surroundings in real time. With a new generation of hardware and software pre-processing engine, connected to any LiDAR on the market, the solution offers a unique level of simplicity, efficiency and versatility in smart infrastructure applications.

It used to take months to use LiDAR in ITS applications such as smart traffic monitoring. This solution only takes 90 seconds from connecting the hardware to getting real-time insight into moving objects.

source:traffic technology today