Velodyne Lidar Releases Software Development Kit

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has unveiled a new software development kit that allows customers to utilize Velodyne’s Vella lidar perception software in their autonomous solutions. The Vella Development Kit (VDK) enables companies to reduce the time and effort required to integrate 3D lidar sensors into applications.

The Vella processing features included in VDK translate raw point cloud data into richer, more descriptive information in real-time. The company says these higher-level perception outputs, such as object classification, velocity measurement, semantic scene segmentation and obstacle detection, can be directly used by autonomous system developers without deep knowledge or expertise in lidar processing.

Backed by machine learning algorithms trained on datasets built by Velodyne, Vella’s perception capabilities enable autonomous mobility today in a wide range of operational design domains, such as urban roadways, highways, sidewalks and warehouses. VDK was developed with input from automakers, application developers and the Automated with Velodyne ecosystem.

VDK is designed to leverage Velodyne’s latest solid-state Velarray H800 and Velarray M1600 lidar sensors, with support for additional sensors being added with each release. Customers with an active maintenance subscription will gain access to every future release of VDK, which will continue to be updated with the latest hardware support and processing features that Vella has to offer.

“The Vella Development Kit supports customers through the entire autonomous solution development lifecycle, from testing and evaluating sensors, to building initial proofs of concept, to demonstrating complete applications,” said Vishal Jain, Vice President of Software Engineering, Velodyne Lidar. “VDK enables developers and integrators to see the world differently by connecting them to the complete array of robust perception capabilities provided by Vella.

“They also have ongoing access to all the latest innovations that result from Velodyne’s continued leadership deploying lidar solutions throughout the world. VDK demonstrates Velodyne’s prowess in providing revolutionary sensors and software that allow companies to create autonomous solutions which transform lives through the advancement of safer mobility”.

Velodyne plans to expand the Vella Development Kit offering in the near future with two additional versions: VDK Lite and VDK Enterprise. VDK Lite will offer a smaller set of the most essential processing features at a lower price point, whilst VDK Enterprise will provide a range of design customization, new feature development and support services.

The Vella Development Kit currently includes one year of support and software updates, with the option of ongoing maintenance, with access to additional software releases and services.

You can find more information about Velodyne Lidar and its new software development kit on its website.

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