MIT’s new lidar chip could give self-driving cars a wider view

MIT engineers have found a way to give chip-based lidar a wider, clearer view without relying on moving parts. Their design uses differently shaped antennas that can sit close together without scrambling one another’s signals. In tests, the system sharply reduced interference while steering a single precise beam across a broad field of view. MIT researchers have now developed an approach that could lead to smaller, more durable lidar sensors that operate without any moving parts. Their advance centers on a new silicon-photonics chip, a type of semiconductor device that controls light ins... [7575 chars]