What Lidar Is and Why It's Important for Autonomous Vehicles

At some point in the near future--how near depends on who you ask--autonomous vehicles (AVs) will become a common sight on the roads. Without the need for a driver or human input, AVs, which are also known as self-driving cars, will require sensors and computers working together to read the road and surrounding environment. Most of the advanced driver aids in the wild today use a combination of radar and sonar to deliver warnings on unseen threats and to help stop a vehicle before a collision occurs. Lidar is a technology that can perform similar functions to radar and sonar, but it's a next-generation system that may represent the best option for AVs' ability to "see." As automakers and other companies move through testing and real-world drives, it has become clear that next-generation sensors and tech offer intriguing functionality but are not the silver bullet that many thought they'd be at first.