Rplidar: Laser radar capable of 360-degree ranging scanning around the environment

Absrtact: In the process of moving from industry to family, robot faces many problems, one of which is: it is too expensive. Recently, the domestic team Robopeak launched Low-cost LiDAR Rplidar, the price is only one-tenth of the general industrial grade laser radar. RP

In the process of moving from industry to family, robots are confronted with many problems, one of which is that they are too expensive. Recently, the domestic team Robopeak launched Low-cost LiDAR Rplidar, the price is only one-tenth of the general industrial grade laser radar.

Rplidar is a laser radar capable of 360-degree ranging scanning around the environment. It is designed to be a consumer-grade product can use the sensor. As a mobile robot to locate and model the important sensor lidar, the cost is generally tens of thousands of yuan (the lowest profile of nearly 10,000, mid-range products in tens of thousands of). If you make up your mind to be a robot that every family can afford, you obviously can't use an industrial-grade sensor that is tens of thousands of yuan. Rplidar is currently priced at 2399 yuan, and its emergence has created the possibility of developing consumer-grade robotic products. The founder Chen Shikei said that if the market reacted well, they were confident that the price would be below thousand yuan in future.

How does it reduce costs to one-tenth of industrial-grade products while ensuring performance? According to the development team, traditional laser sensors have been used to ensure performance through high-precision optics and mechanical components, and they use relatively ordinary, cheaper optical and mechanical components, but the use of advanced algorithm processing to compensate for the performance (please note: In recent years, many sensors are taking this route, even with the common original + unique algorithm , typically such as leap Motion). Plus there's no need to deal with industrial extremes. So the cost has come down all of a sudden.

Although cannot deal with the extreme condition like the industrial product, but for the ordinary living environment, the Rplidar performance is enough, allegedly in some respects even achieves the middle and low-grade industrial grade laser radar effect.

My friend, robot practitioner and enthusiast Jay, booked and tried the Rplidar at the first time. "From this version, there is much room for improvement, such as low frame rate, less sampling angle than industrial stability," he said. But scanning out the image is great, better than many of the low-end industrial equipment. So for some specific use scenarios, such as slam (positioning and map building). “

The product is already on the market and is currently geared toward customers as robot manufacturers, as well as robot enthusiasts and developers. According to Chen Shikei, there are already a number of domestic and foreign manufacturers to contact them, research Rplidar can be used in their cleaning robots and aircraft.

Speaking of the future direction of development, the Robopeak team hopes to first through the laser sensors into the market, and constantly improve the product. Then consider providing a complete solution for the developer. Finally find the opportunity to directly develop products for end consumers.

Summary

I personally think that Rplidar is not only meaningful for robot developers, but also provides a new choice for indoor positioning, which is worth thinking and exploring.
And I predict that in the future there will be more and more low-cost components with excellent algorithm sensors appear, along with smart devices into our lives.
Hope to have more such a dare to try products in the future in the domestic business circle.

About Robopeak

Robopeak used to be a team of technology enthusiasts, founded in 09. Founder Chen Shikei graduated from the computer Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University and worked for Intel Corporation. The members of the team were initially his classmates and colleagues, who worked part-time. As early as 2010, they began to study laser sensors and determine the program, after years and development, until 2012, they finally put their products, at the end of 2012 they began to prepare mass production. At the end of last year, the team started to run the company. There are currently 5 partners, all of whom are of technical origin.