China is playing a leading role in the lidar sector worldwide, producing distance sensors widely used in drones, robots and vehicles.
Lidar, or light detection and ranging, is now used in many of China's electric vehicle models. The sensors use pulsed lasers to accurately measure the distances to surrounding objects in real-time, assisting drivers and even helping the car make better autonomous driving decisions.
According to French research firm Yole, Chinese lidar manufacturers already hold 73 percent of the global market. The Guangzhou-based company Benewake has been making lidars since 2015.
Benewake is the supplier of lidar sets on drones deployed by one of China's biggest life-service companies called Meituan. The sensors are a vital component that measures the drone's distance to the ground as well as potential obstacles.
Benewake's lidar sensors are also installed in robots designed to be used at coal power stations and other high-risk environments.
Li Yuan, CEO of Benewake, introduced the company's equipment for the high-accuracy calibration of the technology.
"We call this calibration, to make it more accurate. You can see there are white boards and black boards to reflect the different parameters into the lidar system. We use this system to calibrate the error and return the correct parameters into the lidar system to make it more accurate. All of this lidar is widely used for rail transport and robot, even autonomous driving cars," he said.
In 2023, Benewake started to move onto the car sector, signing a deal with China's biggest car-hailing app DiDi to provide lidar for their robotaxi project. The same lidar model will also be deployed in selected car models of the GAC Group, China's 5th biggest automobile manufacturer.
Li said China's advantages in its market and sci-tech forces led to its dominating position in global lidar production.
"lidar is a top tier industry in the world. First, it needs enough talents and scientists and engineers. China has this benefit. Second, China has a big lidar market. Third, it also needs a mature supply chain. And this is a Chinese advantage," he said.
China plays leading role in making laser sensors for EVs, droves
Organizers of the 2024 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival on Tuesday unveiled the jury panels who will both pick out the winners of the prestigious Golden Goblet Award for best film and the year's best TV content in the highly sought after Magnolia Awards.
Scheduled to run from June 14-28, the annual event, jointly hosted by the China Media Group (CMG) and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, will select the very best productions out of thousands of films and TV creations which are vying for victory in the coveted entertainment industry awards.
During a press briefing for the event held in the capital Beijing on Tuesday, officials revealed the promotional posters for both events, drawing inspiration from the captivating cityscape and iconic landmarks of the east China metropolis of Shanghai.
Additionally, the jury committees for the major competition categories were announced. Notably, French-Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hung will lead the jury panel for the Golden Goblet Award, while Chinese director Yan Jiangang will preside over the top Magnolia Award for the TV industry.
The CMG will provide comprehensive coverage of the two-week-long festival period, with over 300 hours of uninterrupted live streaming, while also inviting renowned figures from the film and TV industry to share their insights and experiences during a series of special programs aired as part of the event.
Organizers note that thousands of works have come in from around the world, offering a distinct international flavor with a feast of different cultures, while a record number of productions are also set to make their debuts during the festival.
"We have received over 3,700 films from 105 countries and regions for exhibition or competition for the Golden Goblet Award since the collection began. A total of 2,224 works registered for competition, with over 1,375 works making their debut during the festival, marking a record high. This underscores the growing international influence of the Golden Goblet Award and reflects our commitment to cultural exchanges worldwide with strong cultural confidence, advancing Shanghai's vision of becoming an international cultural metropolis," said Chen Guo, director of Shanghai International Film and TV Festival Center.
Authorities unveil jury panels for upcoming Shanghai Int'l Film, TV Festival
