Aeva, a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, today announced that it has been selected by Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned Airbus subsidiary created to explore innovative technologies, to supply its cutting-edge 4D LiDAR technology for the Optimate smart automation demonstrator.

Aeva’s unique 4D LiDAR technology uses Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) sensing to simultaneously detect precise distance and velocity for each point in a scene — a major advancement over traditional LiDAR systems. Its ability to deliver high-resolution data at long ranges of up to 500 meters makes it ideally suited for the complex and dynamic environments of airports, including runways and taxiways.

Optimate is an innovative project that aims to assist pilots in their mission and to support their decision-making. In this frame, several sensor technologies including multiple Aeva 4D LIDAR are tested on an Airbus A350-1000 flight test aircraft and on an electrical truck during hundreds of hours in taxi operation at Toulouse-Blagnac airport and a more complex international airport.

“Airbus has a proven history of innovation and introducing next-generation technologies to the air transportation industry at scale,” said Soroush Salehian, Co-founder and CEO at Aeva. “This collaboration is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the transformative potential of Aeva’s 4D LiDAR technology in the aviation industry. We’re excited to support the Optimate team in their smart automation technologies exploration.”