The sensor provides the unerring accuracy of lasers to scan the environment in much the same way a radar does, but at a much higher resolution, says Cepton Technologies, the company behind the 3D Lidar detection system which it calls the Vista-Edge Perception Evaluation Kit. The system builds an image of the world around any object or person in question, regardless of lighting conditions.

Lidar is a surveying method that measures distance to a target by illuminating the target with pulsed laser light and measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor

Cepton’s Neil Huntingdon says that because the Lidar device combines the sensor with a powerful micro-computer in a single package it can process the information directly at the ‘edge’ and highlight only potential threats, such as an intruder or a suspicious package. This then guarantees the anonymity of those not involved in any suspicious incident.

Neil, Cepton’s VP of Business Development, said: “Our technology allows for far greater protection of data – because it allows operators to zero in on possible issues in a way other technology cannot.

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“There are many advantages to this; most notably Lidar can see in the dark, it only transmits a fraction of the information a video would, reducing the burden of data storage and network bandwidth charges, while opening the door to more mobile installations.

“Perhaps most importantly it means we can guarantee the anonymity of people or objects not deemed a threat. This is a step-change from existing technology, where everyone’s face is captured and held on video storage, regardless of whether they were involved in an incident or not.”

In addition to being more dynamic than video technology, the system has been designed with user simplicity in mind.

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“You hand someone a camera and they know what it is and what to do with it. This is often not the case with a Lidar and Cepton intends to change that.” said Jerone Floor, Head Of Product at Cepton.

“Our customers should not need to be Lidar experts to set up and test our system, but, at the same time, the tools are available to take it to the next level and develop products based on our Vista family of sensors.”

Cepton’s technology, which can operate over Wi-Fi, mobile networks or Ethernet, can also be used to enable driverless cars and to monitor traffic and infrastructure usage, enabling smarter modelling of transport networks.

Neil added: “This technology is undoubtedly an exciting prospect for security and transport – and we believe it is the key to the delivery of truly smart cities that can make our communities safer and more connected.”