Korea’s Top Autonomous Driving Center for Mobility Startups

The Gyeonggi Provincial Autonomous Driving Center in Pangyo supports automobile startup companies in Korea.

Korea’s top self-driving complex is located in Pangyo Zero City. It is called the Gyeonggi Provincial Autonomous Driving Center (Pangyo Autonomous Driving Demonstration Complex or Pangyo Zero City) and it supports startups that provide technology for autonomous driving. It was created to establish an autonomous ecosystem in Korea and serve as a testbed for products and technologies that can be implemented for autonomous driving. The center plans to allocate an estimated KRW 8 billion to support self-driving technology and mobility startups that have the potential to become the next Korean startup unicorns.

Automobile companies all around the world are racing to be the leader in self-driving cars. When it comes to self-driving cars, the debate comes down to two approaches: Radar vs LiDAR.

What is LiDAR?

To fully understand LiDAR, it helps to start with a related technology, radar. In aviation, radar is used to send radio waves to planes to learn their location. It does this by timing how long the radio waves take to bounce off the plane and back to the antenna. However, radar can’t be used to scan for small details. In contrast, a self-driving car’s LiDAR system uses a narrow infrared laser which can image features as small as a bee flying in the air across the street.

RADAR is used similarly to LiDAR but instead of light, it uses radio waves. It is most commonly paired with data gathered from radio waves and computer vision which uses machine learning.

Self-driving technology makes use of LiDAR system that can detect as small things as a bee flying in the air 
Ⓒ Gyeonggi Province

LiDAR vs Radar

LiDAR is the most popular sensor for self-driving cars over the last 10 years. Radar is also very popular. It is a great sensor for inclement weather because the RF waves can travel reasonably well through harsh weather conditions. They don’t degrade as much as LiDAR and are a better alternative to cameras that have trouble in fog, rain, and snow.

Global Automobile Companies Using LiDAR Technology

Mercedes Benz

Mercedes Benz recently launched the S-Class limousine, one of the first cars set to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and be driven autonomously on UK roads in 2021. It will be controlled by a central on-board computer activated by the driver by pushing a button on the steering wheel. The system uses a combination of cameras, radar, and LiDAR along with WiFi positioning and a high-definition digital map. Furthermore, AI technology is used to process images in real time.

BMW

BMW plans to introduce the first system in the United States to qualify as Level 3 autonomous driving. The feature will debut on the iNext and will only engage the self-driving feature on limited access highways and in good weather. The iNext will use a LiDAR laser scanner to observe its surroundings.

Volvo

Volvo announced their partnership with tech company Luminar to provide their LiDAR technology for their next-generation cars. Through this partnership, Volvo aims to develop their first fully self-driving car that will be equipped with Luminar’s LiDAR installed on the roof. They are also exploring LiDAR’s role in improving future advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) by equipping all future Volvo self-driving cars with a LiDAR sensor as standard.

Hyundai to Equip Genesis with LiDAR Sensors

Korean mobility startups are not alone when it comes to incorporating LiDAR technology. Similar to big companies like BMW and Volvo, Hyundai is planning to equip their next-generation Genesis G90 with two LiDAR sensors. This will allow Hyundai to reach Level 3 autonomous driving by incorporating LiDAR with previous camera and radar sensors, and Hyundai’s AI technology.

Mobility Startups at the Pangyo Self Driving Center

The Gyeonggi Provincial Autonomous Driving Center in Pangyo provides startups in Korea with access to infrastructure so that they can compete with major automobile companies like Hyundai, BMW, and Mercedes Benz. The center is currently being used as a test-bed for autonomous vehicles and as a research center by promising startups including those named below.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Autonomous Driving Center is open in Pangyo to support automobile startups in Korea
Ⓒ Gyeonggi Province

BitSensing

Bitsensing develops radar technology not just for self-driving cars but for any existing vehicles to enhance safety and reduce accidents. The startup focuses on developing a high-resolution 4D imaging radar fused with cameras for self-driving cars. The radar is called AIR 4D which stands for Augmented Imaging Radar. Bitsensing is currently running various tests and proofs of concept at the Pangyo Self Driving Center and aims to introduce their prototype at CES 2021.

MOBILTECH

AI-based mobility startup MOBILTECH provides high-precision 3D maps using LiDAR sensors which can be used to replicate a real-world environment. They use a LiDAR-based data collection system to provide a 3D spatial information service for autonomous driving. Therefore, MOBILTECH is able to offer precise localization technology that enables self-driving cars to locate exact positions and move safely without the need for GPS information.

Seoul Robotics

Seoul Robotics is a LiDAR-based solutions startup that has made partnerships with global car companies BMW and Volvo to apply the technology to their self-driving cars. Seoul Robotics is the only company in Korea that develops its own LiDAR sensors. In addition, Seoul Robotics released its first software platform SENSR, an AI-enabled perception platform for 3D LiDARs that offer the highest accuracy of object detection at a minimal cost. It can be fully integrated with the most commercially available LiDAR on the market.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government is actively establishing infrastructure for self-driving cars such as sensors that read traffic lights and building charging facilities for electric and hydrogen cars. It will only be a matter of time before self-driving cars are seen on the streets of Korea.