US smart city lights up solid-state LiDAR technology

In the field of smart city technology, Peachtree Corners has no little justification to regard itself as a pioneer, being one of the first smart cities in the US powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G, and raising its tech bar further, the city has announced a collaboration with Opsys to launch and deploy the latter’s Advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Technology Opsys Sensors (Altos) Gen 2 LiDAR.

Part of the Curiosity Lab ecosystem and based at the heart of what is known as Silicon Orchard in the Metro Atlanta region, Peachtree Corners comprises a municipality home to more than 45,000 residents, 45,000 jobs and an innovation hub attributed with housing some of the world’s most disruptive technology companies.

Peachtree Corners makes claim to being the first US smart city to be powered by 5G and city-owned connected infrastructure, and the first to have deployed a full cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) system in its “city street of the future”.

With its infrastructure, the city is said to serve as a model for how government and private industry can collaborate to create a better future for society and business. From the world’s first deployment of teleoperated e-scooters to fully autonomous shuttles being used by residents, and from a solar roadway to the largest electric vehicle fast-charging hub in the region, Peachtree Corners aims to develop future internet of things (IoT) and sustainable technologies.

The installation of the new technology simultaneously marks Opsys’s first real-world deployment of Altos, the company’s first deployment with a municipality and first deployment in the US.

As a pure solid-state LiDAR, the Altos Gen 2 has no moving parts, and is claimed to enable “best-in-class performance” with high resolution and extreme reliability with a 4D point cloud from the device’s specific field of view. The pure-solid state characteristics are attributed with making the unit more robust, avoiding mechanical failures associated with moving components and allowing the unit to have 24/7 operation and pass a 50g shock and full vibration test.

Opsys’s new technology is also claimed to offer a higher partial differential equation and a larger array than other similar models, a facet said to give the unit improved detection range and a higher resolution of objects. Improved optics can reduce unwanted light, while improving uniformity and enhancing illumination. In addition, the unit’s optimised ASIC/processor is designed to offer advanced processing of data, as well as lower power dissipation and cost.

The LiDAR units are being deployed in the City of Peachtree Corners at the intersection of SR 141 and Town Centre Boulevard. Here, they will see use in providing precise, real-time data on traffic flow and pedestrian movements, offering enhancements to urban safety and traffic management.

Opsys was confident that its ability to operate continuously, while supporting power over ethernet and auxiliary power, make it adaptable for different municipal implementations and ideal for use across various industries including intelligent traffic systems, smart factories, robotics, and public safety applications such as perimeter security and healthcare.

“Opsys’s technology was extremely easy to calibrate and deploy in our city,” said Brandon Branham, executive director of Curiosity Lab. “The simple yet flexible design made it easy for setup, without the need of special custom cables or proprietary connectors.

“The device behaves like a normal network device, which also made it easy for us to integrate into our single pane of glass smart city management systems,” he said. “By adding this cutting-edge technology into our infrastructure, we’re able to enhance safety and operational efficiency for our community while showcasing scalable solutions that other cities and industries can easily adopt.”