Interview Questions for Frantz Saintellemary, CEO and COO of LeddarTech
In the rapidly evolving world of autonomous vehicles, one Canadian company is making significant strides – LeddarTech. Specialising in solid-state LiDAR technology, LeddarTech is poised to play a pivotal role in the reduction of greenhouse emissions as the adoption of electrified and automated vehicles becomes more widespread.
At the helm of LeddarTech's innovation is Charles Boulanger, the founder and Chief Technology Officer, who drives the technological advancements. Dominique Leclerc, the CEO, leads the company's business strategy and growth in the autonomous vehicle sector.
What sets LeddarTech apart is its unique approach to LiDAR technology. Unlike traditional methods, LeddarTech employs a full digital waveform approach and unique signal processing software techniques. This innovation significantly reduces the cost of LiDAR development and deployment, making it more accessible for various mobility applications.
These applications, such as shuttles, robotaxis, and off-road vehicles, generally operate at lower speeds and in controlled environments, making them easier to automate. In contrast, the passenger car market, which operates on any road in any condition, presents a more complex challenge.
LeddarTech's technology is designed to scale from Level 1 to Level 5 autonomy. Its LeddarVision sensor fusion architecture uses raw data fusion, improving functional safety and delivering a richer, more robust high-resolution RGB-D 3D model. This raw data fusion, combined with patented algorithms, reduces false positives by complementing the advantages of each sensor.
Recently, LeddarTech expanded its solution offering with the acquisition of VayaVision. This combination enables LeddarTech to provide radar, camera, and LiDAR perception and sensor fusion solutions. Perception is performed on the high-quality 3D model created by LeddarTech's technology, lowering the cost structure due to a leaner architecture and savings on 3D sensors as well as on-sensor processing.
The more automated driving technology is used in real-life scenarios, the more reliable and safer it becomes. Frantz Saintellemy, who joined LeddarTech in 2017 after leading an investment by IDT into the company, is instrumental in this process.
As we look to the future, significant efforts will be made over the next five to ten years to deploy more automated vehicle technology, making it more reliable and safer. LeddarTech's LiDAR technology, integrated into a suite of system on chips (SoC), is a key component in this long-term endeavour, divided between passenger cars and mobility applications. The combination of LeddarTech and VayaVision creates a more efficient, safer, and less expensive system that can scale, paving the way for a future of autonomous vehicles.
