Geared toward the smart mobile robot market, Livox recently rolled out the latest-generation 3D LiDAR Mid-360. Thanks to its compact size and outstanding navigation and obstacle avoidance capabilities, it can be deployed for a diverse range of robotics applications, enabling robots to avoid obstacles and expand the boundaries of their capabilities.

 

01.

Integrated 4-LiDAR Sensing

Cutting-edge Smart Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Capabilities

LiDAR is a type of sensor device used for environmental sensing. It uses laser beams to scan the surroundings and determines the position and size of objects by measuring the time it takes for the light beam to be reflected.

DEEP Robotics recently announced the "X30" robot dog, which uses four onboard Mid-360 LiDAR sensors to achieve omnidirectional navigation for all terrain and all weather conditions.

 

^{The robot is equipped with four Mid-360 LiDAR sensors}

 

Environments such as substation generator rooms, industrial production lines, and hazardous chemical warehouses typically feature multiple stories connected by staircases. In some scenarios with confined spaces, the stair angle may be 40° or higher. Environments such as these can therefore be very challenging for quadruped robots.

 

^{Quadruped robot climbing stairs}

 

Mid-360 The Mid-360 LiDAR fully considers robots' needs with respect to navigation, obstacle avoidance and other higher-dimensional sensing in various types of complex environments, improving the horizontal FOV to 360° and the vertical FOV to 59°. It also has a point rate of 200,000 points/second. The wider FOV and higher point cloud density help mobile robots sense more complex 3D environments, providing more complete point cloud data for planning and decision-making, thus guaranteeing safe and efficient movement at work sites.

Integrating four Mid-360 LiDARs minimises blind spots, enabling the robot to avoid obstacles and complete tasks on 45° stairs without missing a step or falling.

 

 

02.

Seamless Performance in Challenging Lighting Scenarios

In industrial scenarios with round-the-clock operations, lighting conditions can be variable and uncontrollable.

Mid-360 The Mid-360 lidar is unaffected by darkness, flickering and other lighting scenarios – even in complex and changing environments, it can still sense sufficient point cloud information to assist robots in navigating, avoiding and classifying obstacles, fully unleashing the potential of robotic artificial intelligence.

 

^{Robot working in a dim environment}

 

Mid-360 In addition to its formidable performance, the Mid-360 boasts a compact size just 65 mm long, 65 mm wide and 60 mm tall, allowing for hidden, flexible placement on small robots. What's more, it can detect objects as close as 10 cm, and offers zero blind spot coverage with embedded mounting.

Unlike conventional 3D mechanical lidars, which typically have a high price tag, the Mid-360 uses hybrid solid-state technology, guaranteeing reliable performance at a price of just 749 dollars.

The X30 robot dog equipped with the Livox Mid-360 can be used in a wide range of applications, including power stations, factories and utility corridor inspections as well as emergency rescue, fire safety inspections, and scientific research.

In power station inspections, the robot uses high-precision, autonomous navigation technology to collect information and upload it in real time. In emergency rescue scenarios, the robot can easily navigate obstacles, moving freely over ruins, rubble and other complex surroundings. In metal smelting applications, it easily passes through complex industrial structures, reducing inspectors' exposure to potential hazards.

 

Livox Technology Company Limited (Livox) is an independent company founded through DJI's internal incubation program and dedicated to the development of 3D lidar technology.

Livox was founded in 2016 with the resolve to break through technological barriers in the lidar industry and reduce the threshold for mass production by producing high-quality, reliable, and cost-efficient lidar sensors that can be applied in a wide range of fields, including the automotive industry, smart cities, surveying and mapping, and mobile robots.

Over the past few years, Livox has applied for 587 patents for its unique sensor designs and rotating mirror hybrid solid-state lidar technology. Since the Mid product series was rolled out in January 2019, Livox has served more than 1500 customers, selling products to 26 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, China, Japan and the European Union.