A closer look
Forget spinning laser buckets strapped to the roof of autonomous cars. Solid-state lidar relies on optical phased arrays to steer light using pure physics rather than clunky mechanical motors. By precisely manipulating the phase of light waves emitting from a microscopic chip, interference patterns actively bend the laser beam in any direction. This structural minimalism eliminates all moving parts, dramatically shrinking the hardware while making self-driving sensors impervious to the violent vibrations of a bumpy road.
