Industrial robotics and automation specialist Hokuyo Automatic is incorporating Lumotive Light Control Metasurface (LCM) optical semiconductor technology into its future industrial robotics and other industrial systems.

Hokuyo is planning to incorporate Lumotive’s solid-state beam steering chip into a new 3D lidar sensor targeted for industrial applications. The company expects the new product to surpass conventional mechanical lidar and time of flight camera technology. It is aiming the new lidar at use cases in Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR), and other industrial applications.

As part of the new partnership, Hokuyo will use Lumotive’s manufacturing partners and engineering expertise to bring its sensing products to market faster.

Hokuyo Automatic manufactures industrial automation sensors, including lidar sensors, which are used for robotics, material handling, and other industrial automation applications. With the digital beam-steering technology in Lumotive’s LCM technology, Hokuyo will be able to produce 3D sensing solutions that are more accurate, reliable, and cost-effective than current products.

Lumotive’s patented technology provides solid-state metasurface beam steering chips ready for mass production. Lumotive’s LCM chips enable greater miniaturisation, lower costs, and higher reliability compared to existing scanning lidar solutions.

“We are impressed with Lumotive’s LCM optical semiconductor technology and believe that it will be a game-changer for the industrial automation market,” said Hokuyo’s President, Hitoshi Ozaki. “Lumotive’s product delivers a new level of miniaturisation, performance and reliability, which will enable us to expand our business with innovative 3D sensing solutions that could not be realised with conventional lidar scanning technology. We look forward to working with Lumotive to bring these solutions to market.”

“Securing a design win of this stature is a notable accomplishment, and we are eager to move forward with Hokuyo Automatic in incorporating our LCM technology into our first industrial automation application,” said Dr. Sam Heidari, CEO of Lumotive. “Hokuyo Automatic’s expertise in industrial automation and sensor technology makes them an ideal partner to accelerate the adoption of our ground-breaking LCM semiconductor technology. This production supply agreement marks an important milestone for Lumotive, as we bring advanced 3D sensing solutions to the robotics and autonomous systems markets.”