Tech Giant Unveils New Palm-Sized LiDAR

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A much smaller version of the current LiDAR system is being developed by the Japanese tech giant since it released its latest launch in June 2021. The smaller version is about the size of a human hand, and about a quarter the size of the version released last year.

The new LiDAR reaches only 206 cm3  in volume, has a range of 300 m, and produces images of 1200 x 84 pixels in quality. Various detection applications can be successfully handled by the system, which includes two or more projectors, can be flexibly combined with other systems, and can be fitted into a variety of future developments, including autonomous driving monitoring. Also, it is applicable to robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and small security devices.

therobotreport.com explains that to expand the range of LiDAR laser emitted, it must increase its power, which requires increasing the beam width – and this requires a larger projector. The company’s unique laser beam solution is comprised of multiple small projector units. This increases the effective range since they all emit a beam that is eye-safe. In addition to minimizing the LiDAR’s overall size, this approach also provides better range efficiency.

This LiDAR system is customizable for both long-range and wide-angle scanning due to the flexibility offered by combining projectors and better control of the laser beam. As everything goes smoothly, the advanced LiDAR systems will be available for commercial marketing as early as next year, as well as integrated into autonomous driving and infrastructure monitoring.