MEMS can get rid of Omnitron sensors from spinning peaks on self -driving cars (and cost lowering)

Omnitron sensorsThis makes MEMS sensors raised $ 13 million to create inexpensive sensors for self -driving cars. If it succeeds, we can say goodbye to those large spinning domes over self -judgment.

This investment will expand the scope of engineering and operations teams in Omnitron, which speeds up the huge production of the company’s first product, a reliable linear mirror at reasonable prices (MEMS) for mechanical hydroelectric systems (MEMS) for multiple markets. MEMS was used in everything from Nintendo Wii to tire pressure sensors.

Corriente Advisors led the tour with the participation of the L’NCtures for a long time.

Simplification of the production of MEMS-sensors, which was limited by expensive manufacturing methods for decades-The intellectual property of the Omnitron manufacturing is the cash that the optical connection (Oxcs) in the artificial intelligence data centers (AI), and the visual sub-device in the long. Lidar independent mobility range, displays the transparency screen in expanded reality headphones (XR) and glasses, and measuring the delicate laser spectrum to detect methane gas.

The sensors can enter Oxcs for artificial intelligence data centers, visual sub -systems for advanced drivers assistance systems (ADAS), drones, XR headphones, toxic gas detection systems, and other integrated electronics for our daily life.

Markets driven by the sensor

Omnitron is targeting the main markets with MEMS sensor technology:

• Improving productivity and energy efficiency in artificial intelligence databases: MEMS optical lights are enhanced by Tensor manufacturing speed and reliability in a low -power device, which enhances the functioning of artificial intelligence in data centers. According to new street research, this market will approach $ 30 billion in 2027.
• Enhancing the ability to withstand costs and reliability of LIDAR in self -government vehicles: MEMS mirror targets step by step in Omnitron the total Lidar Systems Market that is expected to reach $ 6.3 billion by 2027, according to Yole Intelligence.
• Enhance the quality of the XR resource/glasses bound: MIMS MIRROR from Omnitron meets the increasing demand for OPTICS XR, which is the market expected by IDTECHEX $ 5 billion by 2034.

“MEMS sensors are smart devices that allow us to touch the world through silicon,” Agilar said. “However, old and ineffective manufacturing methods have prevented the MEMS growth type that is characterized by conductors. This is about to change. MEMS manufacturing IP provides a new model for fully producing micro -production devices. With large investments from Corriente Capital and with additional funding from L ‘Anage Ventures, our company can now fulfill our technical promise.

Assets

Omnitron Assers was founded in 2019 by a basic set of MEMS industry, the new IP has been invented to manufacture the MEMS that improves the performance of the device and its reliability, and this simplifies the assembly of the production of MEMS sensors for the price sensitive price.

Aguar was very frank about how the company started, which now has 12 people. He used to work in companies such as Google and Tesla, where it works on Lidar. He thought of Lidar as “the curse of my existence”.

The company started with CTO TRENT HUANG, an expert in computing computing manufacturing and MEMS.

“I am a student who studys a lot, and I spent my profession in building or merging sensors into robots so that they can see and work in the real world. It works with these sensors, specifically Lidar, who saw the promise of what Lidar can do for robots. But I also suffered from frustration From the use of the real world applications.

He said that the sensors often fail just a few months after working on the road. This was the bottleneck for large car manufacturers, who did not want to serve a car to replace the sensor.

“For this reason, Lidar did not enter the market. With my background to building a kind of these technologies, and be a good engineer, I would like to visit these suppliers and go, hey, what is happening?” Said Aguar.

He saw a big game in semiconductor manufacturing operations and how to make it formed. For this reason, he formed the team five years ago and went to work on a plan to replace a moving part with small mirrors made of MEMS Tech, where mechanical features are dug in semiconductors so that they have small small moving small parts. In this case, it is small mirrors on a slice that can move.

Now on its third round of capital, the company improves its chips, which contains a 10 -mm mirror (this is the golden part in the middle of the chips). It expresses 60 degrees, moves left and right, and has a second -milliliter settlement time. Agilar said this is very fast, and it has the requirements of the Lidar system.

This was what made our customers really interested. Because of this interest, we were able to secure three letters of intentions, two in the auto industry, and one in the energy sector, and its value is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

How to work

Lidar symbolizes light detection and ranges. LIDAR measures the distance by launching high -energy infrared laser in the goal and measuring the pulse that is closely removed. It works well, whether it is in the day or night.

The Lidar sensor is a wonderfully great solution to a self -driving car. He senses the world around the car, which then analyzes whether there are any safety threats while driving the car itself. It reproduces the circumstantial awareness of any human driver.

But Lidar depends on the laser. Fire on the laser light from the car. Light strikes beings and returns back, and this helps to draw an environment in a digital form. The system receives the sign again and then calculates the location of the object and in any direction it moves. The therapist takes all these points in the “Point Cloud” and then understand all the data.

Each Lidar system has a laser. It also contains a scanner, which displays the laser in the world, and a future that regains the signal.

The circulatory device in the Lidar sensor examines the environment, spray laser light and measures millions of points in the scene where the light bounces. He wipes the environment. The mirror is closer to a large disco ball. Photo detector is similar to the camera that causes highlight.

It is a moving ingredient around Lidar so that it can get a 360 -degree vision of the environment. The challenge in the moving car is that all of this should happen quickly because the environment changes with the movement of the car.

The laser Galvo, which is short for Glavanometer, is a visual device that moves the mirror in response to electrical signals, usually in the laser Galvo scanner. The mirror movement allows precise control in the direction and focus of the laser beam. MEMS chips can replace this device with a fracture of the cost.

“This is the great turmoil that we bring to the market. This is what we change within the Lidar unit.” “It is much cheaper and more reliable. This is what silicone does.”

Progress towards production

To bring the product to the market, the company had to design the semiconductor process for the manufacture of MEMS devices to be smaller, cheaper and faster. MEMS chips were not ready for this type of progress, which is ten times more dense than others on the market.

“We had to return to the first principles and design a completely new technology knot for MEMS to bring this to the market. It is a big leap in the density. So we built a more intense segment that allows us to achieve this performance.”

For example, a single feature is called the percentage to the height of MEMS devices about 20 to one, and for Omnitron sensors, the width to the height is from 100 to one, or a trench inside the chip is five times deeper than usual.

Now the company receives its first chips from low -sized manufacturing, and it tests parts of reliability. The company uses the causes, or contracting companies that make chips in the United States, to make sensor chips.

But the transition from “the laboratory to the Puronde armed forces”, or from the test to manufacturing, is “many of these technologies and companies.”

Aguar said that the company is now moving from building chips on a few silicone chips per week to thousands of month so that the reliability of auto customers could prove. This means moving to larger MEMS factories with a higher capacity. That pushed the financing round.

For each vehicle, there are probably four Mirrors, and two for each Lidar system. MEMS Sesnor is smaller and cheaper and does not require much energy. There are competitors there, including MEMS chips in China, but Agilar believes has a technological feature.

Besides cars, there are realistic and space communications devices that can use technology.