Arizona-based radar and antenna maker Lunewave, Inc. has announced $5 million in seed funding.The money will be used to further develop the company's proprietary radar and antenna technology.
The funding round was led by the automotive industry specialist investment fund Fraser McCombs Capital (FMC), Boulder, Colorado. The round also included investments from BMW i Ventures and Baidu.ventures.
3D printed lens antenna
Lunewave is also an alumnus of URBAN-X, a New York-based accelerator for startups reimagining city life. In 2017 and 2018, respectively, Lunewave received National Science Foundation’s SBIR award (Phase I and Phase II).
3D printing Lidar and radar alternative
Autonomous vehicles can be limited by lidar and radar technology.These scanners are expensive and may not perform well in severe weather conditions.Lüneburg provides a low-cost alternative to traditional sensor systems, with good results in poor weather conditions.
The designer and manufacturer chose 3D printing technology due to the complexity of the radar and antenna fabrication process.Optisys, a manufacturer of 3d-printed metal antennas, has created a 3d-printed antenna that is lighter and smaller than those made by traditional processes.
