About

Dirk Langer

I am an accomplished engineering and technology leader with over 30 years of experience in autonomous vehicles, 3D LiDAR, cameras and radar sensors.

 

My expertise spans the full product lifecycle - from concept to Series production – across automotive, robotics, and advanced sensing industrial applications. 

 

I hold a Ph. D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and a Dipl.-Ing. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technische Universität München.

 

I speak and write fluent English and German and have working level Japanese. 

From 2013 to 2021, I led the development of the first automotive-grade imaging LiDAR camera, now in Series production with Toyota. As Chief Technology Officer at ASCar Inc., I guided a multidisciplinary team in creating an automotive proof of concept for Flash LIDAR, encompassing mechanical, optical, laser, integrated circuits, electronics, firmware, software, and manufacturing engineering. In collaboration with Omron Automotive and Nissan, I successfully delivered multiple proof-of-concept sensors for field testing and integration in 20215 – marking a major milestone for ASCar and its parent company, Advanced Scientific Concepts.

 

Following ASCar’s acquisition by Continental AG and insertion into the ADAS Business Unit, I continued to play a lead technical role, scaling the original proofs-of-concept to A and B Samples and managing extended efforts across 200+ engineers in the US, Mexico, Germany and Japan. As the lead technical liaison to Toyota, I spent significant time in Japan, aligning development efforts, culminating in successful product launch in August 2021 as an available option on the Toyota Mirai and Lexus LS500. 

 

Prior to ASCar and Continental, I worked at Volkswagen Group and Audi, contributing to autonomous driving innovations, including leading VW’s participation in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, a milestone event for vehicle autonomy, and early Level 3 ADAS technologies such as Traffic Jam Assist. I also played a key role in shaping early legal frameworks for autonomous vehicles, participating in several key industry consortiums. 

 

Previously, as CEO of Z+F USA Inc. I developed the US Market for high-resolution 3D LiDAR scanners in industrial and infrastructure applications, overseeing technical development, business operations, and sales strategies. My career in advanced sensing began at Carnegie Mellon University, where I developed one of the first 77GHz mmWave radar systems for intelligent cruise control and an ultrasound-based autonomous parking system in the early 1990s.