Teradar reveals its first terahertz-band vision sensor for cars | TechCrunch
Two months after coming out of stealth with a $150 million fundraise, Boston-based Teradar is showing off its first flagship terahertz sensor at Consumer Electronics Show 2026 this week. The company is positioning the sensor, called Summit, as the first long-range, high-resolution sensor of its kind “designed for high performance in any type of weather,…
Two months after coming out of stealth with a $150 million fundraise, Boston-based Teradar is showing off its first flagship terahertz sensor at Consumer Electronics Show 2026 this week. The company is positioning the sensor, called Summit, as the first long-range, high-resolution sensor of its kind “designed for high performance in any type of weather, filling a critical gap left by legacy radar and lidar sensors.”
The sensor will start shipping in 2028 if Teradar can lock down contracts with automakers. If that happens, the company expects Summit will help enable those companies to add partial, or even full, autonomy features to their vehicles.
Teradar’s whole approach is about leveraging the relatively unused terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared. And it’s a solid-state sensor, meaning there are no moving parts. All this is meant to give Teradar’s sensor the best qualities of lidar and radar sensors, with few of the drawbacks.
It’s a potentially attractive proposition for automakers who might wince at the cost of lidars or the limitations of radars. Teradar says it’s already working to prove its tech with five top automakers from the U.S. and Europe, and three Tier 1 suppliers.
Teradar’s impending entry into the market comes at a pivotal moment for automotive sensor suppliers. Leading U.S. lidar company Luminar just filed for bankruptcy protection in December after contracts with Volvo and Mercedes-Benz fell apart, as the automakers backed away from the tech.
Those deals also crumbled partly because of low-cost competition from China, according to Luminar. Lidar adoption has been strong in China’s auto market and shows little sign of slowing up. In October, Chinese lidar company Hesai said it had built more than 1 million lidar sensors in 2025.
Other U.S. companies in the space, like Ouster (acquired and merged with rival Velodyne after a wave of consolidation) have diversified into potential markets like robotics and smart infrastructure.
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Teradar is looking beyond automotive, too, and that vision was reflected in its recent raise. The $150 million Series B included funding from Lockheed Martin’s venture arm, and VXI Capital, anew defense-focused fundled by the former CTO of the U.S. military’s Defense Innovation Unit.
Lidar isn’t completely dead in the auto industry, however. Rivian in December said it would integrate a roof-mounted lidar sensor (from an unnamed supplier) in its upcoming R2 SUV, signaling that there is still an appetite for using advanced sensor technology to bring autonomy to passenger vehicles, especially if it’s affordable.
Teradar CEO Matt Carey told TechCrunch in November that he believes his terahertz sensor can meet all those marks, and sounded eager to pounce on the opportunity.
“Our main job is to make sure our sensor gets on all automobiles, and whatever the best way to do that is, that’s what we’re going to pursue,” he said.
