The autonomous vehicle market is only in its infancy, but there are already several players racing to develop sensory hardware for tomorrow’s self-driving cars. One of them is Oryx Vision Ltd., which announced today that it has raised $50 million in a bid to gain a lead. 

The Israeli startup is building what it describes as a “groundbreaking” LiDAR system that takes a markedly different approach to collecting environmental data than conventional alternatives. The first area where the platform stands out is light transmission. Like the competition, it gathers readings by sending out pulses of light and analyzing the reflections that bounce off objects, but there are no mechanical parts steering the projector.

Oryx instead employs a so-called terahertz laser spread using simple optics that has several operational advantages. As IEEE Spectrum detailed last year, this type of light is invisible to the human eye, which allows the system to run at higher power levels than traditional LiDAR platforms. Oryx said it can detect small debris from 200 feet away, pedestrians at about 300 feet and motorcycles as far away as 490 feet.

The startup’s system determines not only the range but also the velocity of objects. The platform can do so even under adverse conditions thanks another key attribute of terahertz light: It’s not particularly common.

The less light is projected at a given frequency, the lower the interference, which is further aided by the fact that the laser from Oryx’s system is not absorbed well by water. The startup claimed that the platform consequently works better than other products in fog, under strong sunlight and when other LiDAR-based vehicles are around.

Light reflected off the environment is picked up by another special mechanism that serves as the linchpin of Oryx’s value proposition. It’s a homegrown sensor made up of tiny antenna measuring just 5 square micrometers. They’re based on silicon and can be fabricated similarly to semiconductors, which could make them significantly cheaper than the so-called photodetectors normally used for the task.

According to Oryx, the result is a high-performing LiDAR system with no mechanical parts that can be produced affordably enough for mass-market use. It will face off against several other startups working on similar technologies. Among them is TetraVue Inc, which recently raised $10 million in funding to commercialize a rivaling LiDAR platform that is likewise free of moving components.

Oryx will use the capital from today’s round to jumpstart hardware production. The investment was led by Third Point Ventures and Walden Riverwood Ventures, with several returning backers chipping in as well. Oryx expects to start shipping the first test units in the first quarter of 2018. 

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