Voyant Photonics has introduced the Helium™ platform, the industry’s first fully solid-state 4D FMCW LiDAR family designed to deliver high-performance depth sensing and velocity data for next-generation industrial, robotics, and consumer applications. Built on a silicon photonics chip, Helium is engineered for reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency as Physical AI moves from experimentation to large-scale deployment.
The Helium platform leverages Voyant’s proprietary Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) to deliver camera-like simplicity with no moving parts. By eliminating MEMS and mechanical scanning methods, Helium provides a rugged architecture optimized for demanding environments while enabling new levels of system integration and performance.
Performance, Flexibility, and Reliability Advantages
Helium extends the technology foundation established by Voyant’s Carbon™ product family, advancing from one-dimensional to full two-dimensional on-chip beam steering. This enables higher resolution, more flexible scan patterns, and improved perception for autonomous and industrial systems.
Key advantages include:
- True solid-state design with no MEMS, polygon scanners, or rotating assemblies
- High-resolution focal plane array architecture ranging from 12,000 to over 100,000 pixels
- Long-range FMCW performance with per-pixel radial velocity measurement
- Software-defined LiDAR enabling adaptive scan patterns and regions of interest
- Ultra-compact form factor, as small as a matchbox, suitable for drones, mobile robots, and compact industrial systems
With no moving parts and monolithic photonic integration, Helium delivers an estimated 20× improvement in mean time between failures compared to legacy time-of-flight LiDAR architectures.
Scalable Manufacturing and Cost Efficiency
Helium is built entirely on Voyant’s proprietary silicon photonics platform, eliminating the optical alignment challenges that limit the scalability of traditional LiDAR systems. By leveraging the same mature photonics foundry ecosystem used in optical datacom, Voyant can scale production toward semiconductor-class cost structures.
The platform supports configurations ranging from core modules to fully enclosed sensors, with field of view and range tailored through interchangeable optics. This modularity allows OEMs to integrate Helium directly into machines and customize sensing architectures for specific operational requirements.
From Carbon to Helium: A Modular LiDAR Platform
Voyant’s Carbon™ family established the company’s leadership in compact FMCW LiDAR for compute-constrained platforms. Helium builds on this foundation by adding two-dimensional beam steering, higher resolution, and a fully solid-state scan engine.
The Helium family supports multiple resolution and range options, with field-of-view choices from ultra-wide coverage approaching 180 degrees to narrow, long-range targeting optics. This flexibility enables deployment across mobile robotics, material handling, smart infrastructure, and emerging edge-compute platforms.
Early Access Program
Voyant is opening early access to the Helium platform for select OEMs and automation partners. Early participants will collaborate directly with Voyant’s engineering teams to explore custom chip resolutions, module configurations, multi-sensor fusion architectures, and software-defined scanning capabilities.
Voyant Photonics is pioneering the future of sensing with its 4D on-chip FMCW LiDAR technology. Powered by a proprietary silicon photonics platform, the company delivers compact, scalable, and cost-effective depth and velocity sensing designed to unlock the Physical AI era across industrial and consumer applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What makes Helium different from traditional LiDAR systems?
Helium is fully solid-state, eliminating all moving parts and delivering higher reliability, compact size, and scalable manufacturing compared to mechanical or MEMS-based LiDAR. - What data does Helium provide?
Helium delivers high-resolution 4D point cloud data, including precise depth and per-pixel velocity information using FMCW technology. - Which applications are targeted by the Helium platform?
Helium is designed for industrial automation, robotics, mobile autonomy, drones, smart infrastructure, and emerging Physical AI systems. - How does Helium support system flexibility?
The platform is software-defined and modular, allowing adaptive scan patterns, multi-sensor configurations, and customizable optics based on application needs. - Is Helium available for evaluation?
Voyant offers early access to Helium for select OEMs and partners through a dedicated early access program.