Technology built for self-driving cars could be the next step in the US fight against illegal immigrants arriving from Mexico. Lidar, a laser-based detection system, would cost far less to install than a border fence and could alert authorities to people trying to cross the border. Quanergy Systems, a start-up company based in California, presented its Lidar-based system at CES in Las Vegas. The firm claims it is better for the environment, cheaper to operate and'more capable' than Donald Trump's proposed physical wall. His plans for a border wall have been fiercely opposed by Democrats, forcing a shutdown of the US federal government.

With construction costs that could reach $21 billion, President Donald Trump's "big beautiful wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border has enticed scores of construction firms and contractors to file proposals to get a piece of that business. Quanergy, a Silicon Valley startup that makes laser LiDAR sensors and a rising star in the world of automated car technology is one of the more curious applicants. Its interest in the Customs and Border Protection project was reported first by Axios. The Sunnyvale, California-based company registered an "other border wall" proposal, but the long vendors list doesn't detail Quanergy's idea. That "other" category is for any wall proposal that doesn't use concrete and that can be shown to be an effective option, a CPB spokesman explained to Forbes.

"You will need all of them", says Dr. Louay Eldada. Eldada, CEO of Quanergy was referring to the idea of fusing multiple types of sensors together to paint a complete picture of a vehicle's environment. This picture Eldada describes is one that is more crisp and extensive (360 degree view) than what a human could see. Quanergy's focus in the autonomous vehicle world is creating solid-state LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) modules that, as Eldada points out, provides a resolution of 3.5 centimeters at 100 meters. This sort of resolution allows for the recognition of cars and even shapes as small as hands.