Ouster (company)

American technology company

Ouster, Inc.

Company type| Public

Traded as

| Nasdaq: OUST
Nasdaq: OUSTZ (warrants)
Nasdaq: OUSTW (warrants)
Industry| Lidar
Founded| 2015; 10 years ago (2015)
Founders|

* Angus Pacala
* Mark Frichtl

Headquarters| San Francisco, California, United States

Key people

* Angus Pacala (CEO)[1]
* Mark Frichtl (CTO)[1]

Products| Lidar
Revenue|  US$111 million (2024)

Operating income

|  US$−104 million (2024)

Net income

|  US$−97 million (2024)
Total assets|  US$276 million (2024)
Total equity|  US$181 million (2022)

Number of employees

| c. 300 (December 2024)
Website| ouster.com
Footnotes / references
[2]

Ouster, Inc. is an American lidar technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It builds high-resolution, digital 3D lidar sensors for use in autonomous vehicles, industrial, robotics, drones, mapping, defense, and security systems.[3][4][5]

Its sensors produce images from ambient infrared, with software that enables a vehicle's sensing and mapping functions.[6][7]

## History

[edit]

Angus Pacala and Mark Frichtl founded Ouster in 2015, along with two other former Stanford University classmates, after working at laser-based sensing company Quanergy.[8]

In December 2017 the company launched out of stealth, raising a $27 million series A.[9]

In 2019 Ouster raised an additional $60 million in a round led by Runway Growth Capital, with contributions from Silicon Valley Bank, Cox Enterprises, Constellation Tech Ventures, Fontinalis Partners, and Carthona Capital — bringing the company’s total raised to $90 million.[10][11]

In March 2021, Ouster completed a merger with Colonnade Acquisition, a special-purpose acquisition company and became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.[12]

In October 2021, Ouster agreed to buy Sense Photonics in an all-stock deal valued around $68 million at the time of the announcement.[13] On completion, Ouster said it would establish Ouster Automotive, a new business arm, which will be headed by Sense CEO Shauna McIntyre.[14]

In November 2022, Ouster and Velodyne Lidar agreed to merge in an all-share transaction in which the combined business will be split evenly between the two companies' existing shareholders.[15] The merger completed in February 2023, with the combined company retaining the Ouster name.[16]

## Operations

[edit]

Ouster produces three main categories of lidar sensors with varying sizes and range: the OS0, OS1, and OS2. These are manufactured in its production facilities in the United States and Thailand. The company has worked with firms in over 15 different industries across 50 countries.[17]

In 2019, Ouster opened new offices in Paris, Shanghai, and Hong Kong in order to scale its business. The same year Ouster sensors were installed in Postmates’ 'Serve' Autonomous Delivery Rovers operating on sidewalks of Los Angeles, Kodiak’s trucks operating in Texas adopted its sensors for testing. For the 2019 DARPA SubT challenge coal mines of Pennsylvania, its lidar sensors were mounted on drones.[18][19][20] Ouster lidar sensors are used to provide vehicles with the ability to sense, classify, and understand its immediate environment.[21][22][23]

A point cloud generated from a moving car using a single Ouster OS1 lidar

Ouster was selected by autonomous trucking startup Ike as Lidar supplier to bring its automated trucking to market.[24] It is also working with Coast Autonomous to produce self-driving passenger shuttles and autonomous utility vehicles.[25] Ouster has also been working with NVIDIA and Volvo Trucks to develop self-driving systems for commercial use.[26]

In 2020 Ouster partnered with Chinese robotics company iDriverplus to provide lidar sensors for autonomous cleaning robots. During the COVID-19 state of emergency, the two companies partnered to outfit a fleet of robots with OS1-64 lidar sensors. The unmanned cleaning and disinfection vehicles were equipped with lidar sensors on the top and front of the robots providing 360° 3D environmental monitoring and obstacle recognition.[27]

## Models

[edit]

Name  | OS0  | OS1  | OS2

|
|
|

Model  | Gen 2[28] | Gen 2[28] | Gen 2[28]
Announced  | January 2020  | January 2020  | January 2020
Channels  | 32, 64, or 128  | 32, 64, or 128  | 32, 64, or 128
Range  | 55 m  | 120 m  | 240 m
Minimum Range  | 0 m  | 0 m  | 0 m
Precision  | ±1.5 – 5 cm  | ±1.5 – 5 cm  | ±1.5 – 5 cm
Field of View (Vertical)  | 90°  | 45°  | 22.5°
Angular Resolution (Vertical)  | 0.7°  | 0.35°  | 0.18°
Field of View (Horizontal)  | 360°  | 360°  | 360°
Angular Resolution (Horizontal)  | 512, 1024, or 2048  | 512, 1024, or 2048  | 512, 1024, or 2048
Rotation Rate  | 10 or 20 Hz  | 10 or 20 Hz  | 10 or 20 Hz
Data Points Per Second  | 2,621,440  | 2,621,440  | 2,621,440
Power Consumption  | 14 – 20 W  | 14 – 20 W  | 18 - 24 W
Operating Voltage  | 24 V nominal  | 24 V nominal  | 24 V nominal
Weight  | 445 g  | 455 g  | 930 g
Diameter  | 85 mm  | 85 mm  | 119.6 mm
Height (with cap)  | 73.5 mm  | 73.5 mm  | 98.5 mm

## Awards and recognition

[edit]

* In 2020, Ouster was an Honoree at the CES Innovation Awards for the OS2-128 LiDAR sensor within the Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation category.[29][30]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Ouster's Management". Ouster. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
2. ^ "Ouster, Inc. 2022 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 24, 2023.
3. ^ Deutscher, Maria (January 3, 2019). "With new 128-laser sensor, Ouster ups the ante on LiDAR". No. Emerging Tech. Silicon Angle. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
4. ^ Anyadike, Nnamdi (November 3, 2019). "New LiDAR Technologies Boosting Autonomous Driving". Electro Pages. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
5. ^ "Ouster Lidar Powers Next Generation Security and Safety Solutions". Associated Press. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
6. ^ "Ouster introduces OS-1 128 Channel LiDAR Sensor". TAAS Magazine. January 3, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
7. ^ Lu, Daniel (July 3, 2019). "Lidar Mapping with Ouster 3D Sensors". Medium. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
8. ^ Crichton, Danny (December 11, 2017). "LiDAR autonomous sensor startup Ouster announces $27M Series A led by auto powerhouse Cox Enterprises". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
9. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (March 25, 2019). "Ouster raises $60 million to ramp up lidar production". No. Entrepreneur. VentureBeat. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
10. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (March 25, 2019). "Lidar startup Ouster raises $60 million in production run-up". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
11. ^ Crichton, Danny (December 11, 2017). "LiDAR autonomous sensor startup Ouster announces $27M Series A led by auto powerhouse Cox Enterprises". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
12. ^ "Ouster to Begin Trading on the New York Stock Exchange Today Under Ticker Symbol "OUST"". March 12, 2021. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021.
13. ^ White, Joseph (October 5, 2021). "Ouster will buy Sense Photonics, drive for more automotive deals". Reuters.
14. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (October 5, 2021). "Lidar developer Ouster agrees to buy Sense Photonics as it takes aim at the auto industry". TechCrunch.
15. ^ White, Joseph; Malik, Yuvraj (November 7, 2022). "Lidar duo Ouster and Velodyne to merge in all-stock deal". Reuters.
16. ^ Rosevear, John (February 13, 2023). "Lidar makers Ouster and Velodyne complete their merger, creating a sector powerhouse". CNBC.
17. ^ Yoshida, Junko (July 14, 2020). "Ouster Takes on Waymo with Lidar Diversity". No. Automotive. EE Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
18. ^ "OS2-128 Long-range lidar sensor". CES Technology Association. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
19. ^ Chen, Yining (November 18, 2019). "Global LiDAR Companies and Their Latest Progresses in 2019: Mechanical LiDAR Suppliers". Trend Force Corp. LED Inside. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
20. ^ The Robot Report Staff (November 17, 2019). "Ouster releases OS1-32 high-resolution, 32-channel lidar sensor". The Robot Report. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
21. ^ Williams, Andrew (July 6, 2020). "Lidar Technology in Autonomous Robotic Systems". Novus Light. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
22. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (July 24, 2019). "Postmates' self-driving delivery rover will see with Ouster's lidar". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
23. ^ Ohnsman, Alan (July 24, 2019). "New Laser Eyes For Postmates Delivery Robot, Courtesy Of Ouster". Forbes. No. Transportation. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
24. ^ "Ouster OS1 lidar sensor an integral component of Ike commercial trucking platform". LiDAR News. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
25. ^ Trego, Linda (July 29, 2019). "Ouster LiDAR speced in two AVs". Autonomous Vehicle Technology. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
26. ^ Yvkoff, Liane (September 18, 2019). "Using Ouster's Lidar, Nvidia Targets 2022 For Commercial Launch Of Self-Driving Vehicles". Forbes. No. Transportation. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
27. ^ Muir, James (May 14, 2020). "Ouster provides iDriverplus with lidar". Autonomous Vehicle International. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
28. ^ a b c "Explore and compare different Ouster digital lidar sensors". Ouster. Retrieved July 30, 2020.[permanent dead link]
29. ^ Cuneo, Elizabeth (January 6, 2020). "Ouster releases two high-resolution digital LiDAR sensors". No. CES 2020. Autonomous Vehicle Technology. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
30. ^ "OS2-128 Long-range lidar sensor". CES Technology Association. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

*[c.]: circa