Terahertz Radar: Auto Safety Innovation
- * Problem: Current car sensors (radar, lidar, cameras) are ineffective in certain conditions - specifically fog combined with shining sunlight - leading to accidents (as experienced by Matthew...
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* Problem: Current car sensors (radar, lidar, cameras) are ineffective in certain conditions – specifically fog combined with shining sunlight – leading to accidents (as experienced by Matthew Carey when a friend died in a car accident).
* Solution: Matthew Carey co-founded Teradar to create a terahertz imager sensor.
* Terahertz Technology:
* Historically underutilized due to difficulty transmitting signals, but recent engineering advancements now allow for transmission over hundreds of meters.
* Teradar’s sensor meets the auto industry’s 300-meter distance requirement.
* Offers 20x the resolution of automotive radar and works in all weather conditions, at a lower cost than lidar.
* Carey describes it as a “superset of lidar and radar combined.”
* How it works:
* Uses an array of terahertz transmitters to generate electronically steerable beams (no moving parts).
* Sensors measure signal return time and location to create a point cloud (similar to lidar).
* Combines elements of radar and camera technology.
* Status:
* Teradar recently “exited stealth” and is testing its technology with carmakers.
* Expected to be in vehicles produced in 2028 – perhaps the first such sensor on the market.
* Currently working with five carmakers.
* Benefits: Simplicity of radar and resolution of lidar, without the cost and wear-and-tear associated with lidar’s moving parts.