Several minivans with LiDAR sensor mounted to the roof, including one registered to Apple, have been seen on the streets of California, sparking speculations that Apple is looking to develop its own version of Google’s Street View.
The minivan has been equipped with an X-shaped frame mounted to its luggage rack and dark recesses, which is expected to be used to mount the cameras at each corner.
According to reports, the roof of the car is fitted with two small disc-shaped antennas, and a sensor hanging over the rear wheel, which was reportedly used to measure the movement as indicated by the rotation of the wheel more accurately.
An Apple insider, cited by CBS affiliate KPIX, reported that the California Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed that the sensor mounted Dodge Caravan was leased to Apple.
According to reports, LiDAR is a laser-based technology which is used for the creation of high-resolution maps and sensing systems on self-driving vehicles which was used by Google.
KPIX reported analyst Rob Enderle as saying that the vehicles are self-driving cars, but the iPhone maker might not have been issued a testing permit for that purpose.
A similar kind of van with California license plates was seen last September in Brooklyn.
