(Reuters) – Luminar Technologies launched its latest lidar sensor on Tuesday and said it has partnered with auto software maker Applied Intuition to aid automakers in testing their assisted-driving systems.

The tie-up will provide solutions for automobile manufacturers to test their assisted driving systems using Applied Intuition’s sensor simulator integrated with Luminar’s lidar sensor models.

Lidar sensor helps self-driving cars and driver-assistance systems gain a three-dimensional map of the road, and is considered a key to achieving full autonomy in vehicles.

Luminar’s latest lidar sensor, Halo, is smaller than previous generation sensors and will blend into the roofline of a car or behind the windshield, the company said.

“Automakers will be able to accurately test and validate Luminar’s LiDAR-based software systems in virtual environments while reducing testing cost and accelerating time to market,” Luminar said.