U.S.-based AI-powered autonomous driving sensor startup AEye has joined a major research initiative on autonomous driving involving LG Electronics. The project aims to accelerate technological innovation for safe and reliable autonomous driving in harsh weather conditions and strengthen the global collaboration ecosystem.
On June 23 (local time), AEye announced that it has become a partner in the winTOR (Winter) autonomous driving research project led by the University of Toronto. Leveraging its LiDAR expertise, AEye will support the development of autonomous vehicles that can accurately perceive their surroundings under various weather conditions.
The winTOR project, launched by the University of Toronto in 2017, focuses on developing advanced sensing and perception technologies to enable safe and dependable autonomous driving in challenging environments, such as heavy rain and snow.
Key project sponsors and partners include LG Electronics, General Motors (GM), Applanix, Navtech, and the Ontario Research Fund. The project is also supported by researchers from the University of Toronto, who have demonstrated outstanding performance in the AutoDrive Challenge, a leading autonomous driving competition in North America.
AEye’s participation is expected to significantly enhance the winTOR project’s sensing capabilities. The company developed Apollo, a 1550-nanometer wavelength LiDAR sensor capable of detecting objects up to 1 kilometer away in high resolution. Designed to perform reliably in severe weather, Apollo is expected to play a key role in helping the winTOR project develop highly dependable autonomous driving systems for extreme conditions.
Founded in 2013 by former NASA engineers, AEye has established itself as a global leader in software-defined LiDAR. The company began attracting attention in South Korea after LG Electronics and SK Hynix invested in it in 2018.
Matt Fisch, CEO of AEye, stated, “We’re thrilled to work with winTOR and the world-class team at the University of Toronto to advance the limits of AI-powered perception technology. It’s an honor to contribute to a project that promises to make autonomous driving safer and more trustworthy worldwide.”
Meanwhile, LG Electronics has been collaborating with the University of Toronto on AI research since 2018. That same year, the two jointly established the Toronto AI Lab, expanding their research into autonomous driving, medical technology, advanced materials, and robotics. In 2023, the collaboration was extended for another five years, broadening its scope to include AI trust and ethics.
