Oryx

Oryx Vision, an Israeli startup founded in 2009, targeted the autonomous vehicle market by developing advanced depth-sensing solutions. The company was established by David Ben-Bassat, an expert in electro-optics who previously founded and sold RFWaves. In 2016, Rani Wellingstein, a seasoned entrepreneur who sold his prior company Intucell to Cisco, joined as co-founder and CEO, and the company was renamed Oryx Vision. The business was centered on creating a low-cost, high-performance Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system for self-driving cars. Oryx served automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier-1 suppliers, aiming to provide the critical depth vision necessary for full vehicle autonomy.

The core of Oryx Vision's product was a coherent flash LiDAR system that operated without any moving parts, designed to offer the simplicity of a digital camera. Its unique selling proposition was the use of silicon-based microscopic nano-antennas to detect light wave frequencies, rather than traditional photodetectors that measure light energy. This approach reportedly made the system a million times more sensitive than competing LiDARs, resistant to interference from sunlight, and capable of seeing through fog. The technology could simultaneously produce both range and velocity data for every point in its field of view, sensing objects up to 150 meters away while consuming significantly less energy. The design aimed for a mass-market price point by utilizing an imager comparable in cost to a mobile phone camera.

Oryx Vision successfully raised a total of $67.3 million in funding over three rounds from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Third Point Ventures, and Maniv Mobility. A significant Series B round in August 2017 brought in $50 million to accelerate development and commercial engagement. Despite its promising technology and substantial funding, the company faced immense challenges. The founders recognized that the autonomous vehicle market was not maturing as quickly as anticipated and that the LiDAR space was becoming dominated by corporate giants. After a failed attempt to sell the company, Oryx Vision officially shut down its operations on August 25, 2019, returning a substantial portion of its remaining capital to investors. Keywords: Oryx Vision, autonomous vehicles, LiDAR sensor, depth sensing, automotive technology, David Ben-Bassat, Rani Wellingstein, coherent flash system, nano-antennas, self-driving cars, computer vision, automotive LiDAR, solid-state LiDAR, vehicle sensors, ADAS, machine vision, optronics, remote sensing, Israeli startup, automotive safety