Emesent has launched its latest survey-grade autonomous lidar technology designed for mapping in challenging environments.
Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based systems are valuable for rapid mapping, but survey grade accuracy has been a challenge, Emesent said. The Hovermap ST lidar with its automated ground control feature enhances SLAM to remove drift and produce survey grade, georeferenced point clouds.
"This is a huge step forward for mobile mapping, providing unrivaled SLAM accuracy and workflow efficiencies," said Stefan Hrabar, CEO and co-founder of Emesent.
The ground control targets are placed in the environment and captured in a Hovermap ST scan. The targets are automatically detected by the SLAM processing engine and used to improve the SLAM result and automatically georeferenced the point cloud.
The process includes automated constellation matching between detected targets and known survey coordinates, which eliminates manual work.
The rotating lidar produces up to 600,000 points per second in dual return mode, covering a near spherical field of view, Emesent said. The device includes an embedded computer for autonomy and mapping and an accessory expansion port to enhance its capabilities.
The lidar could be used to be attached to drones or other survey equipment for inspections or mapping of areas that are too dangerous or too hard to reach through manual human methods.
