Velodyne Lidar has bought AI software company Bluecity, whose management, software development and sales teams will join Velodyne.
The companies have been partnering on Lidar-based solutions for smart city applications, such as Velodyne’s Intelligent Infrastructure Solution (IIS), which combines Velodyne's sensors and Bluecity’s AI software.
IIS, which delivers traffic monitoring and analytics and is designed to improve road safety and efficiency, is currently rolled out in 74 installations in the US, Canada, China, UAE, India, Finland, Germany and Australia.
“We are excited to welcome Bluecity as full members of the Velodyne team. They are an exceptionally talented group of innovators with game-changing AI and analytics software that perfectly complements our Lidar sensors and Vella software,” said Dr. Ted Tewksbury, CEO, Velodyne Lidar.
Vella translates Lidar data into actionable information so that autonomous systems can observe and understand the environments they are operating in - for example, enabling autonomous vehicles to move safely, or to provide insight into why a new traffic solution is required in an area prone to near-miss collisions or red-light running.
Velodyne argues that using Lidar and AI-powered analytics offers more insight than with traditional cameras or radar alone.
"Our acquisition of Bluecity further affirms that a system solutions approach integrating software and hardware is a major competitive advantage for Velodyne across all our end markets," says Tewksbury.
Dr. Asad Lesani, co-founder and CEO of Bluecity, says the company is 'thrilled' with the acquisition: “Our experience working with Velodyne’s world-class Lidar sensors has shown the power their solutions can bring in making communities safer and more efficient."
Velodyne says it will continue to expand IIS's capabilities, including monitoring flows of people and vehicles to create a range of new full-stack infrastructure solutions for applications such as parking and stadiums.
Velodyne says it wants to integrate Bluecity’s AI and analytics software, delivered in a Software as a Service model, with the Vella Lidar perception software.
