Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - July 2022 - 8

Cover Story
Fig. 3: AtomicSense
with 1.8 m aperture.
* The Atomic Norm mathematical framework
that can achieve near optimal detection/estimation
performance and can be commercialized
as custom chips and AI software
Pilot-scale experiments verified that the range,
for our novel sensor platform are close to
angular resolution, and precision of the core sensor
element6
theoretical performance limits. (Test results can be
accessed at www.nps.ai). This proof-of-concept leads
us to conclude that the technology exists to see well
enough to sense 100 Tb/sec to enable zero preventable
roadway deaths.
We now are developing a commercial sensor
system platform, called AtomicSense (a name that
NPS has trademarked), that can sense 100 Tb/s; overthe-road
trucking is targeted as the first commercial
application (Fig. 3). This will be followed by robotaxis,
then personal vehicles.
Our prototype field-programmable gate array
(FGPA) based sensor-fused system currently is
being road-tested on a Chrysler Pacifica minivan on
California highways and will be deployed on Class 8
trucks (Fig. 4) on U.S. midwestern wintery highways
beginning in December 2022.
During 2022 and 2023, we will continue to
enhance our Atomic Norm algorithms and implement
our custom chip to improve performance and
reduce power, size and cost. By 2024, AtomicSense is
intended to achieve all key objectives required to see
soon enough, clear enough and far enough to help
enable zero preventable trucking accidents.
AtomicSense will allow companies developing
advanced human driver-assistance systems (ADAS)
and fully autonomous driving systems to accelerate
progress toward zero roadway deaths. The key
question for these companies is " What must be true
to get to zero preventable roadway deaths? " We have
concluded that seeing and processing about 100 Tb/
sec is one of these necessary requirements and this is
indeed possible by combining breakthrough analytics,
advanced multi-band radar, solid state lidar, sensor
fusion and SoC technology. ■
Notes:
1
2
The technical paper underlying this article can be
accessed via NPS's website at www.nps.ai
Light-duty vehicles in metropolitan areas require shorter
long-range sensing than long-haul trucks (due to lower
vehicle speeds and masses) and higher data sampling rates
(to see around corners and through occluding objects).
Light-duty vehicles need to see about 250 m around and
500 m up ahead with a 60º FoV. Using the same values
for the remaining key variables as with long-haul trucks,
the resulting data rate is about the same, 7Pb/s.
3https://www.britannica.com/science/
information-theory/Physiology
4
" Robust uncertainty principles: Exact signal reconstruction
from highly incomplete frequency information " . EJ Candès,
8 July 2022
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING
NPS

http://www.nps.ai http://www.nps.ai https://www.britannica.com/science/information-theory/Physiology https://0-scholar-google-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=it&user=nRQi4O8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=nRQi4O8AAAAJ:0N-VGjzr574C

Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - July 2022

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