Velodyne liDAR sensors support Emesent's Hovermap

     Velodyne Lidar announced that Emesent's new Level 2 autonomous driving (AL2) technology for Hovermap uses Velodyne Lidar sensors to deliver real-time perception and high-quality, accurate 3D data. Hovermap is a plug-and-play mapping and autonomous payload for industrial UAVs, enabling autonomous flight over areas beyond line-of-sight (BVLOS) without the need for a GPS connection.

     The AL2 technology uses Velodyne's Puck LITE liDAR as its primary perception and mapping sensor. This facilitates autonomous exploration, navigation and liDAR mapping in inaccessible and challenging environments such as mines, civil engineering, telecommunications infrastructure and disaster response environments. As part of Emesent's automated stack based on Simultaneous localization and Map Building (SLAM), the AL2 enables drones to fly out of communication range, navigate themselves, and avoid obstacles such as thin wire lines and tree branches.

     By setting up smart waypoints in a real-time 3D map streamed to the tablet, the AL2 can operate from take-off to landing. This allows the operator to maintain a safe distance from hazardous environments such as cliff tops, stope edges, confined Spaces and high ground. The rich data provided by Puck LITE sensors enables companies to gain better data insights on how to ensure the safety of mines and other environments.

     Dr. Stefan Hrabar, CEO of Emesent, said: "The Velodyne Puck LITE is small, lightweight and performance-all of which are essential for DRone-borne systems, making it an excellent sensor for creating DRone-based mapping and autonomous driving solutions. "This sensor is an important part of helping us build disruptive new technology that can capture vital data in real time in challenging environments without compromising machine or operator safety."

     Emesent, a partner in the Automated with Velodyne program, is at the forefront of GPS-free drone autonomous driving. Recently, the company, together with the Robotics and Autonomous Driving Systems Group of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and Georgia Institute of Technology, placed fourth in the urban tour of the DARPA Underground (SubT) Challenge.

     Jon Barad, vice president of business development at Velodyne Lidar, said: "Emesent's innovative use of Velodyne Lidar sensors helps provide valuable data and insights that were previously unavailable. In addition to the advantages they can offer the mining, infrastructure, surveying and mapping industries today, it is exciting to think about how this innovation will help usher in a new era of autonomous drone operations across a number of other industries."

     In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently imposes restrictions on drones flying beyond the line of sight. Emesent's technological innovations could usher in a new era of safe, autonomous drone flight - not just in mines, but everywhere.

     Velodyne Puck LITE sensors provide high-resolution images for measuring and analyzing indoor and outdoor environments. Puck LITE is designed for lightweight, compact sensors that provide superior resolution and performance for mobile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/ drone applications. It also has a full 360-degree view of the environment to provide real-time 3D data.