A lot of people find LiDAR scanners interesting. This cutting-edge technology was once only used by pros and scientists, but it is now making waves in areas far beyond its original fields of use.
LiDAR will change everything, from how we map our world to making computers smarter. Come with us to find out more about LiDAR, how it works, and why it’s hot in so many areas. Are you prepared to learn? Then let’s begin!
What is LiDAR?
Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, is a device that looks like it came straight from a sci-fi movie. Imagine a device that sends out thousands of light flashes per second and records the reflection. Basically, this is how a LiDAR scanner works. Laser pulses are used to make maps of surfaces and items by timing how long it takes for the light to come back to the sensor. In the end, This is a thorough three-dimensional point cloud that gives useful information for many uses.
The way LiDAR works
Imagine that a LiDAR device has eyes that can see very far away with great accuracy. A laser wave is sent out, moves, hits something, and bounces back. After that, the system figures out how long this round-trip trip took and turns that into a distance measurement.
A dense and accurate digital elevation model of the scanned area is made by LiDAR by repeating this process millions of times per second over a large field of view. Just like drawing a 3D picture with brush strokes, but with light.
The Evolution of LiDAR Technology
LiDAR technology has been around since the 1960s. At first, it was mostly used in weather, but later it was also used for remote sensing in geology and oceanography.
However, its move into the consumer market, especially with the release of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, was a watershed moment. With the addition of LiDAR cameras, we can now use augmented reality (AR) apps, make 3D models, and take better photos than ever before.
LiDAR makes progress.
It has changed in amazing ways over the years. LiDAR sensors used to be big, expensive units that were attached to planes to scan large areas of the environment. Now, small, efficient sensors are built into consumer gadgets. This growth has opened up new areas in AR, robotics, and even self-driving cars, showing how flexible and innovative it can be.
