TetraVue

About TetraVue

TetraVue, founded in 2008 by Paul Banks, operated as a manufacturer of LiDAR-based 4D cameras. Banks, who had a long career working with lasers, established the company to pursue his fascination with 3D technology, initially funding the venture through government projects. The company aimed to address the needs of the autonomous vehicle, machine vision, factory automation, and entertainment industries. Although the company is now considered deadpooled, it secured significant funding during its operation, including a $10 million Series A round in February 2017. Over its lifetime, TetraVue raised a total of $10 million across 8 funding rounds from 14 institutional investors, including KLA Tencor, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and Nautilus Venture Partners.

TetraVue developed a proprietary 4D LiDAR video camera that merged high-definition video with the range-finding capabilities of LiDAR. Unlike traditional LiDAR systems that scan an environment with a single point of light, TetraVue's technology used a solid-state flash to illuminate the entire scene at up to 30 frames per second. This approach allowed the system to capture a high-resolution, two-megapixel image and determine the distance to every pixel simultaneously, a method they termed 4D (3D space plus time). The technology utilized a patented optical encoder placed between the lens and a standard CMOS image sensor to timestamp incoming photons and extract range information. This process resulted in a data output of 60 million points per second, providing both a standard video feed and per-pixel depth data without the need for sensor fusion.

The primary benefit of this system was its ability to provide high-resolution, real-time motion and spatial data, which could enable Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles to more rapidly identify and react to dangerous situations. For the entertainment and virtual reality sectors, the pixel-level depth information was intended to streamline motion capture and the creation of digital assets from real-world scenes. The company asserted that its cameras could capture over two million simultaneous distance measurements at ranges exceeding 200 meters in various weather conditions, all while using significantly less power than competing technologies. TetraVue's focus was on commercializing this technology for the automotive market by developing partnerships with car manufacturers and AI software developers.