I believe everyone is familiar with the application of LiDAR in robotics, unmanned driving, and other fields, but in addition to these two fields, LiDAR can also be widely used in other fields. Take the RPlidar series LiDAR of SLAMTEC as an example. Although most of the current service robots have the RPlidar series LiDAR, it is not only a standard configuration for service robots. It is also used in multi-touch, smart speakers, cameras and wireless RPlidar series LiDARs are also suitable for drones and other fields.
Multi-point Interaction
Multimedia interaction is a human-computer interaction technology that uses hardware equipment and software rendering. It can be carried out without traditional input devices (such as mouse, keyboard, etc.), and cooperates with the screen to display gorgeous interactive images, auditory and human-computer interaction perception has achieved great impact.
Multi-touch contains two main technologies: image acquisition and rendering systems
The image acquisition hardware mainly includes an infrared signal sensor. This infrared signal sensing hardware is actually a laser LiDAR. Its function is to locate and capture the actions of the “interacting personnel” when the infrared rays are projected onto the large screen, and then analyze and process, and send the processing results to the rendering server.
The rendering system mainly includes a projector, whose function is to receive the processing results of the image acquisition subsystem, generate corresponding images, and display them on the screen through the projector, so as to achieve the most natural display and interactive effects.
At present, using gestures to perform multi-touch with multimedia content has become a brand-new interaction method. It has been fully applied in enterprise information displays, exhibition hall exhibitions, game interactions, digital upgrades, etc. While providing intuitive and convenient interactive marketing tools, it also allows users to truly feel the joy of man-machine and free interaction.
Smart Speaker
This is a smart speaker equipped with RPlidar A2 from SLAMTEC, and the solution is Surfacesight.
It is a project led by researchers Gierad Laput and Chris Harrison of Carnegie Mellon University. They use LiDAR technology to allow smart speakers to perceive the shape of surrounding objects and make judgments on user gestures so that smart speakers have both hearing and vision. It greatly enriches the interactivity of smart speakers.
After smart speakers are equipped with LiDAR, they can easily recognize the shapes of different objects. Users can directly perform gesture input with their hands and fingers, and when the mobile phone is placed around the smart speaker, it can automatically recognize the music they want to listen to. The Surfacesight speaker also predicts a person’s orientation, allowing it to prioritize command recognition when the user is actively pointing in the direction of the speaker. And there is no need for a flat surface after the introduction of LiDAR.
Likewise, smart speakers track movement on walls and integrate LiDAR into smart thermostats. This recognizes taps against the wall with sliding and circular motions, effectively turning the surface into an extended control pad.
The Surfacesight solution will not only appear on smart speakers in the future but will also appear in various smart home and loT products. Because compared with other technologies, LiDAR has high technical accuracy, a high degree of user privacy protection, and high-cost performance.
Camera
This camera has a built-in SLAMTEC RPlidar A3, which can build high-precision maps, and supports different design and presentation formats, providing users with easy-to-use and clear map data.
However, the construction of a high-precision map is not so easy, and LiDAR needs to have the following characteristics:
1. High scanning frequency
The number of laser ranging points per second of LiDAR directly affects the effect of high-precision contour information obtained by LiDAR scanning. The more points, the clearer the contour graphics and the more accurate the map construction, which can ensure the faster movement of the equipment installed with LiDAR. And guarantee the quality of map construction.
2. Strong anti-interference ability
In addition to being resistant to light interference, LiDAR must also be able to distinguish between ambient light and laser signals. For this reason, SLAMTEC RPlidar products have put a lot of effort into processing algorithms and optical tuning. The RPlidar A series has had the ability to resist sunlight interference since the second generation, and the anti-interference ability of the RPlidar third generation in terms of sunlight and black objects is even higher.
In addition to acting as a builder of planar maps, LiDAR also assists in the generation of virtual images. Using built-in lasers and sensors to work in tandem with more than 190 camera components, it automatically creates virtual tours at a stunning 270-megapixel resolution. Just click a button and all the information will be presented to you.
In addition, small/consumer products such as panoramic cameras are more sensitive to issues such as hardware size, power, and cost than commercial robots.
After years of technology/product iterations, SLAMTEC technology has realized the use requirements of LiDAR in terms of volume, power, and cost. Of course, in the future, LiDAR will develop towards smaller sizes, lower power consumption, and more competitive cost.
Drone
Obstacle avoidance is one of the important manifestations of UAV intelligence. A perfect autonomous obstacle avoidance system will greatly reduce the accident rate of UAV damage and injury to people and buildings. LiDAR, on the other hand, enables drones to have the ability to avoid obstacles.
With the help of LiDAR, the obstacle avoidance of drones is divided into the following stages:
1. Detect obstacles
Through continuous rotation, LiDAR emits laser light, receives laser light back, calculates the distance from the obstacle to the current one, and senses the existence of the obstacle.
2. Go around obstacles
Through the high-precision map information established by LiDAR, the drone can perceive the specific location of the obstacle, and then bypass the obstacle autonomously!
3. Navigation phase
The final step is the navigation phase. However, the completion of the functions at this stage cannot be realized only by LiDAR, and it needs the power of algorithms in the future.
Built-in SLAMTEC RPlidar A2
According to the different usage scenarios of drones, different specifications of RPlidar series LiDAR can be built in. Since LiDAR is less affected by light interference, LiDAR can perform well in any light conditions. In particular, SLAMTEC’s RPlidar A3 and RPlidar S2 have been optimized for outdoor sunlight conditions, and their performance is even better, which can meet the needs of various drones.
Space environment surveying and mapping, which originally required a lot of manpower and material resources, now only need to use LiDAR to build maps while flying to obtain the outline information of the environment and generate high-precision maps. For example, in the power industry, after the drone patrol is completed, the system will automatically sort out the coordinates and photos of hidden danger areas, automatically generate a report and upload it to the server, and provide first-hand information for the power line corridor maintenance team to improve production efficiency.
Of course, in addition to the above fields, LiDAR sensors still have a lot of application space to expand. For different application fields, the requirements for LiDAR are also different. In the future, as LiDAR technology continues to mature, we will see LiDAR sensors in more application scenarios.