Velodyne and GrayMatter Distribution Partnership

07 May 2009, 11:36pm

Morgan Hill, CA (May 7, 2009) - Velodyne Lidar, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high definition lidar sensors, and GrayMatter Inc., a provider of integrated software and hardware solutions for autonomous motor vehicles, announced today that Velodyne will distribute the GrayMatter Visionary™ point cloud visualization software. Velodyne will include a trial version of Visionary with each shipment of a Velodyne HDL-64E S2 lidar sensor.

The full version of Visionary, available for purchase directly from GrayMatter, provides a rich, user-configurable 3D point cloud view of the data points from the Velodyne sensor. The software displays the distance points as well as the return intensity. Advanced features for obstacle identification (wire framing), point size manipulation, and other functions are also available.

"Our collaboration with GrayMatter, which began at the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, has resulted in an excellent visualization tool for our point cloud data," said Bruce Hall, president of Velodyne. "GrayMatter has taken it a step further with their obstacle detection capability, demonstrating the capability of the HDL-64E S2 in autonomous vehicle applications."

Originally developed for the DARPA Grand Challenge race of autonomous vehicles, the HDL-64E S2 provides a rich point cloud of accurate distance information to build a 3D model of the environment around the sensor, suitable for obstacle detection in autonomous vehicles and 3D mobile mapping. GrayMatter developed its software as a part of its Team Gray entry in the Urban Challenge, where it was a semifinalist.

“The Visionary software perfectly complements Velodyne’s high definition lidar sensors,” stated Eric Gray, president of GrayMatter. “Together we will enable our customers to leverage the innovation, expertise and strength of both companies and deliver an unprecedented value for autonomous vehicles.”

Velodyne Lidar, Inc.

GrayMatter Inc.

Geo: International