How Lidar technology is changing the way we see the world

 

Lidar has been around for a long time, but it's now more affordable and accessible than ever, so we're seeing it in a range of professional applications... and even in the smart home. Here's all you need to know about this technology, where it's going, and what items it'll appear in.

What is lidar technology?

Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, is a term that is comparable to radar, or Radio Detection and Ranging. Lidar employs light instead of radio waves and receivers, as radar does. A lidar system is typically made up of three key components:

A laser is a device that emits precisely created light pulses. Light is bouncing, as you may recall from science class; at least certain wavelengths reflect off practically every material. When these light pulses come into contact with matter, they are designed to reflect back.

Scanner: The scanner is calibrated to detect the laser's returned light pulses after they've been reflected off of objects.

GPS receiver: Based on the position of the lidar instrument, the receiver estimates exactly how far the light went, allowing for extremely precise mapping of space and the location of things.

Lidar can be classified into two categories of applications, topographic and bathymetric, in addition to these components:

Topographic lidar systems are used to map land and open spaces, and utilise wavelengths in the near-infrared range of the light spectrum.

Bathymetric: These systems use a form of green light that easily flows through the water to measure landscapes underwater, such as riverbeds or the ocean floor (this is also why water has a greenish tint in nature).

Lidar was created as a powerful alternative to radar that may be used in a range of situations. It can be beneficial in situations when the radar isn't as effective, provides more exact measurements than radar, and is more adaptable in general.

What is lidar being used for today?

Lidar can be utilized on drones or other aircraft in the air, as well as on trucks or stationary platforms on the ground. There's a good probability that lidar will be used to professionally measure things on Earth, especially when it comes to distance. The following are examples of specific applications:

Scanning coasts: Lidar is used to improve the accuracy of maps of coastlines and comparable areas. Lidar is excellent for various kinds of mapping, but it's especially good for measuring the often-complex characteristics of the coast and tracking occurrences like erosion and flooding.

Vehicles: Lidar on vehicles can aid in the mapping of surrounding spaces, which is extremely useful for self-driving automobiles and other related applications. Tesla is one of the few companies that does not utilize lidar for its self-driving cars (Elon Musk is reportedly not a fan), but it is testing lidar sensors for future purposes. The technology is also used in the vehicles NASA is developing to explore the moon and Mars.

Creating 3D models: Lidar is used by architects and construction companies to measure spaces and create models that may be utilized to design new projects or changes. This can also come in handy for making visual effects for movies, television shows, and video games!

Surveying: Because surveys are used to map out property lines and borders, they must be extremely exact. Lidar, which excels at measuring distances, is extremely useful in this process.

iPhones and iPads: Did you realize that iPhones and iPad have lidar as well? It aids in the accuracy of apps such as Measure.

Wait, what does lidar have to do with smart homes?

While we've been discussing lidar as an outside technology, it's worth noting that smaller versions of the technology can also be utilized indoors, which leads us to smart home applications.

Lidar is ideal for any system that needs to track the price dimensions of a room, where furniture is, and even where people are and how they move around a space because it can measure distance so quickly.

Lidar has some advantages over a standard camera or motion sensor, such as being less prone to errors and being able to perform in a variety of weather conditions, making it a promising technology for smart security cameras.