Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation has awarded David Hall, chief executive officer and founder of Velodyne LiDAR, Inc., as its 2018 Inventor of the Year. Hall created the groundbreaking 3D LiDAR sensor technology which enables advanced vehicle safety and performance for autonomous vehicles.

The idea of leveraging LiDAR technology for autonomous driving came to Hall after competing as one of the original entrants in the DARPA Grand Challenge for autonomous vehicles. In 2005, he invented 3D LiDAR to give autonomous vehicles real-time, 360-degree vision that then set the stage for revolutionizing the automobile industry. LiDAR sensors provide the high-resolution, real-time information about the surrounding environment that is required for fully-autonomous driving. Velodyne LiDAR is the industry leader supplying virtually every automaker and autonomous vehicle company with its sensors. LiDAR sensors are also used for mapping, industrial and other uses.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation and I appreciate their efforts. Intellectual property protection is imperative to fostering innovation and is a valuable asset to new technology,” Hall said.

Holding more than 30 U.S. patents, Hall is a technology visionary covering a variety of applications. He founded Velodyne Acoustics in 1983 as an audio company specializing in low-frequency sound and subwoofer technology. In 2011, he launched Velodyne Marine and debuted its first self-stabilizing craft, the Martini, at the 2013 Miami boat show. This prototype was the world's first sea-faring vessel with an active suspension.

“My grandfather was a physicist and my father an engineer, so creating things is in my DNA,” he said. “My goal is for LiDAR to enable the promise of safe autonomous mobility.”

Hall will be honored at the annual IPO Education Foundation Awards Dinner, celebrating leaders and innovators in intellectual property on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

MEDIA PLEASE NOTE: To learn more about IPO and the Inventor of the Year Award, please contact Nyree Berry at IPO (202-507-4514; nberry@ipo.org). To schedule an interview with David Hall or to request images, please contact David Cumpston at Landis Communications Inc. (415-359-2316; cumpston@landispr.com).

About IPO and IPO Education Foundation

Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), established in 1972, is a 501(c)6 trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. IPO serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all fields of technology. IPO advocates for effective and affordable IP ownership rights and provides a wide array of services to members, including: supporting member interests relating to legislative and international issues; analyzing current IP issues; information and educational services and disseminating information to the public on the importance of intellectual property rights.

IPO has a related 501(c)3 foundation, the IPO Education Foundation. The IPO Education Foundation is devoted to educational and charitable activities designed to promote the value of intellectual property rights. IPO and the IPO Education Foundation share the same office location and IPO staff also support the Foundation.

About Velodyne LiDAR

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, Velodyne is a technology company known worldwide for its real-time 3D LiDAR computing and software platforms. The company evolved after founder David Hall invented the HDL-64 Solid-State Hybrid LiDAR sensor in 2005. Since then, Velodyne LiDAR, Inc. emerged as the unmatched market leader of real-time 3D vision systems used in a variety of commercial applications including autonomous vehicles, vehicle safety systems, mobile mapping, aerial mapping, and security. Its products range from the high-performance, surround view Ultra-Puck™ VLP-32, classic HDL-32/64 and cost-effective VLP-16, the new VLS-128, to the upcoming, hidden Velarray™. Velodyne’s rich suite of perception software and algorithms are the key enablers of its perception systems. Velodyne supports customers from offices in San Jose, Detroit, Frankfurt, and Beijing. For more information, visit http://www.velodynelidar.com.

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