Our vision
We envision a world where autonomous vehicles and automated industrial equipment can “see” and understand their surroundings with unparalleled precision.
By leveraging our advanced 3D perception technology, we aim to drive innovation across various sectors. Our solutions are designed to enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability, supporting applications ranging from autonomous vehicles to safety monitoring in aviation, rail, heavy machinery, and warehouses. Through continuous innovation and commitment to excellence, we strive to improve the quality of life and operational safety in diverse environments, driving the next generation of safety through advanced stereo vision.
Shaping the Future: Our Beginning
NODAR was founded by Dr. Leaf Jiang, a pioneer in the early development of optical ranging systems.
After receiving his BS, MS, and PhD at MIT, Leaf spent the first 12 years of his professional career building military-grade lidars at MIT Lincoln Labs. As one of the nation’s foremost experts on active 3D sensors, Leaf well knew the advantages and disadvantages of lidar and other 3D measurement technologies.
By 2018, Leaf had incubated an idea to develop a 3D sensing technology based on cameras that would address the major shortcomings of lidar as it relates to automated systems - range, resolution, lifetime, and cost. His thesis was that safety-critical systems requiring 3D information for guidance and decision making are highly price sensitive and yet require exceptional performance and reliability.
Leaf left Lincoln Labs to build NODAR, guided by the mission of developing 3D sensor technology more performant, reliable and price competitive than lidar, specifically targeting autonomous and 3D monitoring systems.
In the summer of 2019, as Leaf was starting to think about raising institutional capital, Leaf met Brad Rosen, a successful serial entrepreneur with a track-record of bringing early stage ideas to market. An engineer and MIT Sloan grad, Brad brought to the team over 20 years of venture-backed startup experience. Brad joined Leaf as COO & Co-Founder, and within 6 months they had raised NODAR’s Seed round. Leaf, Brad, and NODAR were off to the races!