Kudan and Ouster Announce Partnership to Develop LiDAR-Based Localization and Mapping Solutions

〜Building highly accurate maps for robotics, drones, and automated vehicles〜

Kudan (TYO: 4425), a leading localization and mapping solution provider, announced it will enter into a partnership with Ouster, a manufacturer of high-resolution LiDAR sensors for autonomous vehicles, robotics, security and mapping. Kudan and Ouster will jointly develop localization and mapping services, based on Kudan’s core SLAM technology.

Kudan’s technology delivers fast, robust, and accurate localization and mapping solutions based on LiDAR input. Ouster’s unique structured LiDAR data increases processing speeds by up to 100-times over traditional unstructured LiDAR data, enabling faster and more accurate object recognition and lower power requirements for small robotics, drones, and automated vehicles.

【DEMO】
KudanSLAM: LIDAR only drive

LiDAR SLAM vs. GPS

★100% localization success rate with ~1cm accuracy – and no sensor fusion
Kudan recently drove a vehicle with Ouster’s OS1 64-channel LiDAR for ~3 miles in Bristol UK. The result shows Kudan’s robust LiDAR processing capabilities, with ~100% localization throughout ~3 miles of urban driving, including pedestrians, moving and stationary vehicles, and other objects and obstacles. The localization used no other sensor input, despite Kudan’s ability to process multiple sensor fusions. Throughout testing, Kudan’s LiDAR localization accuracy shows an error of only ~1cm.

★300 times lighter map size compared to LiDAR raw data (50MB vs 16GB)
Kudan’s proprietary approach to creating maps with Ouster’s high resolution, structured data format allows the extraction of feature points from raw data. This can significantly compress the size of the required map for localization, enabling autonomous vehicle developers to reduce on-board processing and storage.

★Real-time, with no pre- or post-processing, and no accelerator or special processor
Kudan’s localization and mapping software can run on general multi-core CPUs and does not require any accelerator or GPU, although each may be used for improved performance. Localization and mapping can be done seamlessly, without complicated and time-consuming pre- or post-processing of LiDAR data.

Kudan and Ouster will demonstrate their jointly developed product at upcoming industry conferences.

About Kudan Inc.
Kudan (Tokyo Stock Exchange securities code: 4425) is a deep tech research and development company specializing in algorithms controlling artificial perception (AP), a technology which provides machines (computers and robots) with the equivalent of human “eyes.” As a complement to artificial intelligence (AI), AP functions as a deep tech which allows machines to develop autonomy. Currently, Kudan is using its high-level technical innovation to explore business areas based on its own milestone models established for deep tech which provide wide-ranging impact on several major industrial fields. In addition to the independently-developed AP technology it has produced, Kudan is also conducting R&D in the fields of machine perception, deep perception and neural perception networks, with an eye to the integration of its technology with artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT).

■Company Details
Name: Kudan Inc.
Securities Code: 4425
Representative: President and CEO Tomo Ohno

*For more information, please refer to Kudan’s website at https://www.kudan.io/.
*For more information about Ouster, visit Ouster’s website at ouster.com/.