Keysight Technologies rolls out simulator for makers of self-driving vehicles

Keysight Technologies (NYSE: KEYS) has further entered the high-powered arena of driverless technology, producing a simulator allowing developers to work on bugs in their systems before they put cars on the road.

Keysight’s radar scene emulator, which officially was announced to have launched in December and shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, is part of the Santa Rosa-based tech company’s autonomous drive emulation platform. The testing and measurement equipment producer has no plans of developing a vehicle on its own.

How does it work?

The device presents several real-world scenarios, allowing developers to test situations that may arise when driverless vehicles are on the road. Scenarios could include street scenes typical to what a motorist experiences.

“Some people feel it is similar to a video screen that can show a simulated environment to a camera,” said Michael Reser, Keysight’s business development director in the Automotive & Energy Solution business unit.

Keysight’s product, which starts at $400,000, can show that same simulated environment — but with a wider, continuous field of vision.

“It is essential for our customers to be able to test complex scenarios before they put an autonomous vehicle on the road,” Reser explained.

Keysight is working on a partnership with Renault, an automotive equipment manufacturer.

“We’re sure it will help us save time, and we’re currently in the end of the process of proof of concept,” said Marc Pajon, Renault’s leader in testing technologies.

For now, Keysight executives attending CES indicated the company received a welcoming reception that “exceeded” their expectations.

Down the road, the technology may be used for other “wheels on the ground” vehicles such as shuttles, golf carts and agricultural equipment.

“The vision of fully autonomous vehicles is rapidly approaching, and we’re thrilled to be accelerating this vision into a reality,” Vice President and General Manager of Keysight’s automotive division Thomas Goetzi said in a statement.

Keysight declined to say how many have sold.