I have been quetly excided about the benewake TFmini lidars that we have been selling for the last few months, as they are a cheap and reliable way to add obstacle avoidance to a drone/robot (and much better than ultrasonic sensors). But now fusion360 from the CEA has showed their lidars at CES 2018, and they seem to be even smaller, making them small enough to use on a teeny drone.
This research has come out of the CEA in France, and since it is a research body I dont know if this will translate directly into a product (I am sure something based on this will come to market eventually), or if the details will become open source… but I will be watching this space!
Features of 360Fusion include:
- The first obstacle-avoidance algorithm in a dynamic environment based on cutting-edge, laser sensor technology
- Ultra-compact and miniaturized design that fits into a tiny, mass-market microcontroller
- 10x cheaper than comparable systems
- A highly integrated perception system that weighs less than 40 grams
- Seamless integration in existing drone technologies