Lumotive

The problem

Most lidars still steer their laser with mirrors or motors, which makes them bulky, fragile and costly to scale for robots and infrastructure. TrendForce sized the global lidar market at only $1.18B in 2024, a sign that adoption beyond cars remains slow.

The solution

Lumotive sells the LM10, a Light Control Metasurface (LCM) chip that steers laser light electronically across 160 degrees with no moving parts. Modules, reference designs and control software let sensor makers drop it into their own lidars.

How it works

1. The chip carries an array of sub-wavelength elements made in a standard CMOS fab, topped with liquid crystal under cover glass, like an LCOS display.
2. Voltage shifts the liquid crystal's refractive index and thus the light's phase, steering the beam like an electronically scanned radar.
3. The LM10 sweeps 160 degrees in 0.39-degree steps, with a claimed 100-microsecond response, at 905 and 940 nm.
4. Sensor makers program scan patterns and regions of interest in software, up to 900 Hz on a region.
5. Paired with Adaps Photonics' dTOF sensor, the platform covers 180 degrees at 30 fps and up to 50 m (April 2026).

Value proposition

A chip built on existing CMOS lines replaces a mechanical scanner and is rated for over 10,000 hours from -20 to +85 °C. Range, resolution and frame rate can be tuned by zone. No cost savings figure has been published.

Technology edge

Where many solid-state lidars use MEMS micro-mirrors or non-scanning flash, Lumotive steers the phase of light on a liquid-crystal metasurface with no moving parts. The CEO cites about 160 patents (2026), and a two-axis version unveiled in March 2026 targets 256 x 256 port optical switches.

Business model

B2B: chips, modules and reference designs sold to sensor makers through distributors (Restar, Uniquest, EDOM, Macnica Cytech). Pricing and revenue not disclosed.

Market

TrendForce (January 2025) expects the global lidar market to grow from $1.18B in 2024 to $5.35B in 2029, with $1.91B in industrial and logistics. Lumotive targets that segment first, then automotive and data centers.

Competitors and alternatives

China's Hesai shipped 1.62 million complete lidars in 2025, 239,273 for robotics: the cost benchmark. US-based Ouster supplies Serve Robotics' delivery robots. Austin's Neurophos also uses CMOS metamaterials, but for optical computing. In optical switching, Lumotive goes after MEMS switches.

Use cases

• A sensor maker, Hokuyo, built the LM10 into its YLM-X001 lidar for AMRs and AGVs under a multi-year production contract.
• A Saudi integrator, E-Photonics, launched the L30 (25 m) for robotics and the L42 (80 m) for security in 2025.
• A Korean module maker, Namuga, launched the Stella-2, co-developed with Lumotive, at CES 2026 and sampled it to a North American e-commerce giant.

Traction and proof points

CES Innovation Awards Honoree in 2022 and 2024 (LM10). At CES every year from 2022 to 2026, including a lidar-in-headlight shown with ZKW in 2022. LM10 launched August 2023. Named partners: Hokuyo, Namuga, E-Photonics (LEAP 2025), Adaps Photonics (April 2026), Sony, ams OSRAM, Lattice. Opened a center of excellence in Muscat, Oman, in December 2025.

What remains to be proven

No end customers or volumes are public, and performance figures are vendor claims without independent tests. Optical switches promised for late 2026 stretch a team of about 60 across two markets.