Radar Resolution Boosted Hundreds of Times... Hyundai Motor and Kia Collaborate with Sungkyunkwan University

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced on the 21st that they will establish a joint research lab for ultra-high-resolution radar development with Sungkyunkwan University at the Natural Science Campus of Sungkyunkwan University in Suwon.

The ultra-high-resolution radar, called 4D imaging radar, is explained by the company to have a resolution up to hundreds of times higher than the currently used 3D radar. The current 3D radar is widely used in advanced driver assistance systems by measuring the distance and speed of objects even in severe weather conditions.

However, compared to cameras or LiDAR, its resolution is lower and it cannot measure the altitude of objects, making it difficult to detect small objects well. To compensate for this, the company expects that it will be possible to secure data in a more precise form by increasing the resolution and adding altitude measurement technology.

Yoo Jibeom, President of Sungkyunkwan University (left in the photo), and Lee Jongsu, Head of Hyundai Kia Advanced Technology Research Center, are taking a commemorative photo at the plaque presentation ceremony of the joint research lab.
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]

The improved ability to recognize objects around the vehicle is expected to be useful for level 3 or higher autonomous driving. Compared to LiDAR, it is cheaper, providing price competitiveness when implementing advanced driving assistance functions. It is also expected to be applicable in various fields such as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and robotics.

This joint research lab will focus on developing semiconductor chips and related systems for ultra-high-resolution radar that can integrate more antennas within the same size as existing sensors. The research team consists of Hyundai Motor Company and Kia’s Advanced Technology Center, professors Kim Byung-seong, Lee Kang-yoon, Seo Moon-gyo, Yang Young-gu, Hwang Geum-cheol from Sungkyunkwan University, about 60 researchers from the College of Information and Communication’s ARRC Research Center, and the fabless company SkyChips.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia will operate the joint research lab together with Hyundai NGB, a specialized industry-academic cooperation institution, overseeing radar system configuration and semiconductor chip development. Sungkyunkwan University and SkyChips are responsible for radar transceiver IC design and verification, antenna and packaging design verification, among other tasks. A company official said, "This collaboration will help accelerate the era of fully autonomous driving." Professor Kim Byung-seok of Sungkyunkwan University said, "This will lay the foundation for domestic technology to lead the world in the next-generation radar technology field."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.