1. FASTER 3D VISION SYSTEMS
FOR AUTOMOTIVE AND ROBOTICS APPLICATIONS
Fastree3D’s groundbreaking 3D vision technology will help avoid
some of the staggering 1’200’000 annual fatalities due to road
accidents, of which 50’000 could easily be avoided were adequate
3D vision assistance installed on vehicles.
Fastree3D advanced 3D imagers offer a tenfold price/performance
improvement on existing imaging solutions for high-growth
sectors such as autonomous vehicles and high performance
robotics.
The impact of our advanced affordable 3D vision on a major
sector such as the Automotive industry is far-reaching, because
our 3D cameras low cost and superior performance will enable a
more rapid incorporation of safety applications designed to assist
drivers as well as augment driverless vehicle security
Fastree3D SA, a Swiss company based in the EPFL in Lausanne, is developing the Direct
Time of Flight 3D vision technology that relies on a measurement of time of arrival of the
reflected illumination from infra-red lasers, which enables affordable intelligent
automation, infrastructure control and advanced automotive safety.
We are addressing the needs of an Automotive market, which alone is estimated to
become a USD 1 Billion annual market by 2020. The ability of our imaging sensors to
reliably recognize and measure the distance to fast moving objects in real-time also
opens up to Fastree3D key sectors such as robotics, industrial automation, machine
vision, gesture recognition and personal service robots.
Fastree3D game-changing technology is made possible by the amalgamation of rare
scientific skills of the R&D team, their previous development experience and deep
understanding of 3D vision systems and the industries that use these systems.
A D V A N C E D 3 D I M A G E R S
FOR RAPID MOVEMENT CAPTURE
EVERY YEAR
50’000 PEDESTRIANS DIE
NEEDLESSLY IN AVOIDABLE
ROAD ACCIDENTS DUE TO
INADEQUATE VISION
(Registry: UID CHE-291.330.490). The company subsidiary Fastree3D B.V.
performs research with TU-Delft, Netherlands (KvK 58866973).
13 Chemin de la Raye, 1024 Ecublens, Switzerland

2. INDUSTRY CHALLENGES
The automotive industry is expanding the deployment of driving assistance
systems (ADAS) from high-end cars to all models, while the robotics industry is
launching autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and service robots. In both
sectors, high- performance, lower prices 3D Imaging Sensors are essential.
MAIN 3D VISION CHALLENGES
• Complement ambiguous 2D computer vision with accurate
measurements allowing life-critical decisions.
• Faster measurement of mobile objects to enable dynamic operations.
• Day and night operations insensitive to illumination interference.
• Digital information processing to enable multi-sensor fusion
• Low power consumption devices
• Pricing similar to that of consumer electronics
FASTREE3D SOLUTION
Fastree3D supplies semi-conductor image sensors that enable fast, accurate 3D
computer vision and intelligent navigation. Our cameras leverage low cost
consumer electronics. They measure the time taken by a flash illumination to
be reflected by targets (direct time-of-flight). For higher sensitivity and range,
we pioneered single photon-avalanche diodes (SPAD) operating with the latest
laser arrays. Consequently, we provide industry with three key 3D vision
benefits:
• Accurate distance measurement that resolves the ambiguity of computer
vision which is derived from image interpretation, thus enabling safe and
intelligent navigation of vehicles and autonomous robots.
• Sensors that operate in all lighting conditions at high distance resolution
and optimal power/range ratio.
• A technology that has been proven in high volume/low cost CMOS
products.
Fastree3D is paving the way for numerous applications and
innovations that have until now not been possible.
EVOLVING IN A LARGE ADDRESSABLE MARKET
Fastree3D technological offering is addressing a US$100M market for 3D ToF
camera modules for the automotive and robotics sectors boasting a Compound
Annual Growth Rate (CARG) of 25% and above. This market should grow to
US$1 Billion by 2020. The machine and vision guided robotics market is
estimated to ramp up to US$5.6 Billion over the same period..
ABOUT FASTREE3D
Founded in September 2013, Fastree3D SA is a fabless semiconductor company,
which is a spin-off from the EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland. The firm evolved from
10 years of research at the EPFL and TU-Delft, which included two EU projects,
two Dutch STW research grants for prototyping of 3D imaging subsystems and
1Mpx. Integral to its ongoing R&D activities, Fastree3D has entered a research
contract with Bern University of Applied Sciences, Biel in 2015 and research
project with Stanford University the same year.
A SKILLED TEAM WITH MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS EXPOSURE
Dr. Edoardo Charbon – CSO: Professor and Lab Director at TU-Delft and
EPFL. 25Y experience in IC technology, architect Canesta, Senior Member IEEE.
Claude Florin – CEO: 25Y Executive at HP in Telecoms and Imaging Software,
investor in startups, Founder A3 Business Angels, Partner Polytech Ventures.
MScEE EPFL, Management Certificates from IMD, MIT, Harvard BS.
Lucio Carrara – VP Engineering: 6Y experience in 3D-ToF Imagers.. IC design
engineer at Espros Photonics. MSc. in Micro and Nanotechnologies EPFL.
Pierre-Yves Cattin – BDM: Sales Manager for industrial sensors at LEM
International, Pepperl+Fuchs, Project Manager, IR-Microsystems. MsEE EPFL,
MSc. automotive engineering FH Bern.
Dr. Bogdan Staszewski - Advisor, Co-founder: Professor UC Dublin. Expert
in mixed-signal CMOS circuits, 18Y IC Industry experience at Alcatel and Texas
Instruments in US. Former CTO at Texas Instruments. Inventor with 118 issued
US patents. IEEE Fellow.
UNIQUE R&D | FAST 3D CAMERA BASED ON DIRECT TIME OF FLIGHT
Fastree3D cameras effectiveness relies on the measurement of the short time elapsed between the
generation of a light pulse and the detection of the reflected pulse
Time of Flight processor
Flexible FPGA design
Rapid prototyping
Mobile interfacing
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication
Pulsed laser/μLED
Near Infrared: >800nm
Fast switching: <300ps)
High repetition rate: <200MHz
Long detection range: >30m-50m
High resolution: 3mm/20ps
High frame rate: 1’000 fps
Low cost standard CMOS manufacturing
Single Photon Avalanche (SPAD)
Seemingly innocuous and simple,
the Fastree3D camera packs a
string of worldwide patents, 10
years of R&D and groundbreaking
state-of-the-art technology.
RESOLUTION
Under 1.5 mm with an
operational resolution
lower than 2.0cm
ACCURACY
Operational under bright
or dark lighting condition
MEDIUM RANGE
Above 50 meters with eye-
safe short pulses
SPEED
Between 300-1000 fps, low
blurring of 20m/s motion
LOW COST
Digital CMOS circuits,
consumer electronics, low
power
OUR DIFFERENTIATORS: FAST, PRECISE, LOWER COST 3D IMAGING SENSORS
The Fastree3D camera emits a pulsed infrared light and
measures the time the signal takes to travel to and from
the object: the elapsed time is the "time of flight". This
method of depth measurement offers many advantages
over other depth sensing technologies.