Self-driving cars, autonomous trucks, flying taxis, autonomous agriculture, farming robots, agri-tech, autonomous robotics – they are all part of a larger Autonomous Systems market. The word autonomous means having the power to self-govern.¹ Autonomous Systems “self-govern” by incorporating real-time image processing and computer vision to provide automated-control with little to no external intervention. Imaging and sensor technologies have benefited from advancements in the fields of optics and photonics, enabling the use of Autonomous Systems to create real world solutions. While self-driving cars and drones may have once seemed like science fiction, it is real today and being implemented across the board.

Optics for Autonomous Applications

On-board components must be robust, compact, shock or vibration resistant, and versatile to provide a broader degree of freedom than the components used in factory automation. Without such machine vision components, autonomous systems are unable to view their environment and, as a result, are fragile and defenseless against even low-risk, easily avoidable hazards.