Mobileye’s imaging radar takes the wheel

Today, hands-free (but eyes-on) autonomous driving solutions are possible with cameras-only. However, as the mobility industry advances towards more and more autonomous capabilities, key challenges such as reliability and accuracy within intricate driving environments remain. Overcoming them pushes the industry to seek appropriate solutions that prioritize safety for passengers and pedestrians, while also ensuring vehicles can assist drivers and eventually operate independently.  

To achieve safe autonomous driving capabilities, some in the industry agree that additional sensing modalities beyond cameras are necessary. Mobileye’s approach, known as True Redundancy™, relies on Lidars and Mobileye’s new category of Imaging Radars to create a sensing state that operates independently from the camera-based sensing state.  This allows for different sensor configurations that enhance autonomous capabilities and road safety.  In this approach, our radar technology is emerging as a key tool in enabling autonomous features.  

On the road, traditional ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems) radars are effective in simple, less dense environments as they provide sparse information on dynamic objects, but they face challenges in detecting static objects. To overcome these challenges, Mobileye developed its new category of radars that delivers reliable output independently of cameras or lidars. This innovation supports the core principles of the "True Redundancy" architecture.

 

 
 Radar Technology: From Basic ADAS to Reliable Autonomous Driving, VP Radar Yaniv Avital

Mobileye’s sense 

From its inception, the Mobileye imaging radar was purposefully designed for autonomous driving capabilities to achieve an AV system that outperforms human perception and decision-making on the road. This advanced imaging has a higher level of dynamic range than traditional radars in challenging scenarios, such as the ability to detect a child 150 meters away on a road when a bus is only 10 meters from the vehicle.  

 

"Mobileye developed its new category of radars that delivers reliable output independently of cameras or lidars" 

Unlike traditional radar systems with limited levels of object detection, Mobileye’s imaging radar has more detailed object detection capabilities with heightened elevational resolution. This precise detection enables the system to discern objects in unique scenarios, such as stationary vehicles under a bridge. It generates a rich point cloud that facilitates AV driving capabilities such as exact lane assignment and the ability to react quickly at high speeds. The system can detect road users- pedestrians, motorcycles, and cyclists- at a distance of 350 meters and identify potential hazards up to 230 meters away.  

 

 
Mobileye's Imaging Radar fits perfectly with the VW ID Buzz, VP of Autonomous Vehicles Johann Jungwirth  

A radar that hits the mark 

The automotive industry is experiencing a profound shift in radar aimed at advancing and enhancing current capabilities. The Mobileye Radar portfolio features high angular resolution, expansive dynamic range, and substantial sidelobe suppression, enabling detection in challenging situations. This ensures reliable detection of small and low-reflective objects on the highway while driving up to 130km/hours. The development of the Mobileye imaging radar comes as a commitment from Mobileye to shape the future of the automotive industry by consistently innovating and introducing new categories of expertise.