Aeva Technologiesdeveloper lidar systems, based in Mountain View, California, have made public Aeva Eve 1V, high precision non-contact motion sensor Built on Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) measurement technology. The company says Eve 1V measures object motion with accuracy, repeatability and reliability – all without any contact with the material. The last point is key for the intended Eve 1V environment: Industrial production.
Today's production lines are under pressure to deliver faster production, tighter tolerances and zero defects, often when working with a wide range of delicate materials. Traditional tactile tools such as measuring wheels and encoders can slip, wear out, and cause costly downtime. Many contactless alternatives, while promising, are either too expensive or lack precision and reliability in real-world applications, he says. My sharpco-founder and CTO of Aeva.
“Eve 1V was created to fill exactly this gap: compact, eye-safe, contactless motion sensor which provides sub-millimeter-per-second speed accuracy without touching the material, so manufacturers can eliminate slippage errors, avoid material damage, and reduce maintenance-related downtime, resulting in higher productivity and more predictable operations,” says Rezk.
Unlike traditional lidar, which sends out flashes of light and waits for those flashes to return to take measurements, FMCW continuously emits low-power laser by changing its frequency. By comparing outgoing and returning signals, it detects frequency shifts that indicate distance and speed in real time. The additional measurement of an object's speed and its position in three-dimensional space makes FMCW a type of 4D lidar.
Eve 1V is the second member of the Eve 1 family after launch Eva 1D earlier this year. Eve 1D is a compact motion sensor capable of detecting motion at the micrometer scale, which is approximately 1/100th the thickness of a human hair. “Together, Eve 1D and Eve 1V show how we can take the same FMCW sensing platform and adapt it to different industrial needs: Eve 1D for distance measurement and vibration detection, and Eve 1V for precision velocity and length measurement,” says Rezk.
Future applications may extend to roboticslogistics and consumer health, where non-contact sensing can enable the detection of microvibrations on human skin to accurately measure pulse and blood pressure.
FMCW lidar for precision manufacturing
The company's core FMCW architecture, originally developed for long-range 4D lidar for carscan be configured using software and optics for very precise motion detection According to Rezka, in production at close range. This flexibility means the system can track extremely slow movements, down to fractions of a millimeter per second, in factory settings, or it can track faster movements over longer distances in other applications.
By avoiding physical contact, Eve 1V eliminates wear, slippage, contamination or the need for physical access to the part. “This brings three practical benefits to the plant: firstly, maintenance-free operation without the need to replace or recalibrate measuring wheels; secondly, respect for materials – you can measure delicate, soft or textured surfaces without risk of damage, and thirdly, operational reliability – no slippage errors and less downtime for maintenance,” says Rezk. Taken together, this means increased uptime, consistent productivity and reduced scrap, he adds.
When measuring speed, engineers often rely on one of three tools: encoders, laser speed meters, or camera-based systems. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Traditional encoders are inexpensive but can wear out over time. Laser velocity measurement systems, although accurate, are typically large and expensive, making them difficult to implement widely. And camera-based approaches can work for certain inspection tasks, but they typically require markers, controlled lighting, and complex processing to accurately measure speed.
Rezk says the Eve 1V system offers a balance of these capabilities. It provides accurate and stable speed measurements without contacting the material, making it compact, safe and easy to install. Its output is comparable to existing encoder systems, and because it does not rely on physical contact, it requires minimal maintenance.
This approach helps reduce energy loss due to slippage, eliminates the need for maintenance associated with wear parts, and ultimately reduces long-term operating costs, especially compared to traditional contact systems or expensive laser options.
This method avoids stitching of frame-by-frame comparisons and is resistant to sunlight. reflectionsor ambient light. Built on silicon photonicsit scales from micrometer-level measurements to millimeter-level precision over long distances. The result is clean, repeatable data with minimal noise that outperforms legacy lidar and camera systems.
Aeva plans to begin full production of the Eve 1V in early 2026. recent partnership with LG Innotekcomponent manufacturing subsidiary of a South Korean company LG The group, which will see Aeva supply Atlas Ultra 4D lidar for vehicles, plans to expand the technology to consumer electronicsrobotics and industrial automation.
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