By Stephen Nellis
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Aeva Technologies said on Monday it is supplying sensors to a subsidiary of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus that is working to develop planes that can taxi to airport gates autonomously.
Aeva, founded by former Apple and Nikon engineers, makes a lidar sensor that can map a three-dimensional view of the area around the vehicle and detect how fast distant objects are moving.
It said it is supplying those sensors to Airbus UpNext, which will use the sensors on a testing truck and an A350-1000 flight test aircraft at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France.
Aeva did not disclose financial details of the deal. Aeva CEO Soroush Salehian said the deal will involve several fitting sensors on the initial test plane.
“We’re all working toward automation and this is a new extension for us into aerospace. It’s focused on the here and now – improving airport efficiency and reducing the workload on pilots,” he told Reuters on Monday.
(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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