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LiDAR

LiDAR is a core sensor that enables robot chassis to achieve autonomy and intelligence. With its high-precision 3D environmental perception capability, it supports navigation, obstacle avoidance, and safe operation. By emitting laser pulses and measuring their return time, LiDAR generates accurate 3D maps that help robots identify distant targets and navigate complex scenes, driving automation and standardization across industries such as logistics, manufacturing, and agriculture.

Core Features

In robotic systems, lidar is typically installed on the top, front, or sides of the chassis, performing core functions such as environmental modeling, positioning and navigation, and obstacle avoidance planning.


Environmental Perception: Creates real-time 3D maps to support robot localization and path planning. For example, in automated warehouses, LiDAR helps cargo robots generate 3D models of shelves.


Centimeter-Level Positioning: Using Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology, LiDAR builds dynamic maps in real time and corrects the robot's position, enabling centimeter-level accuracy even in complex environments.


Object Detection and Tracking: Detects the distance, shape, and movement trajectory of surrounding obstacles, providing real-time feedback for chassis motion control. This includes adjusting travel routes, avoiding dynamic obstacles, or adapting to terrain changes.


Examples:In delivery robots, LiDAR enables long-range trajectory prediction through multi-angle scanning. In industrial AGVs, it works with multiple sensors to achieve high-precision collision prevention. In service robots, it supports safe interaction in crowded environments.


Safe Operation: Provides millimeter-level distance measurement in complex scenarios such as city streets or tunnels, making it ideal for long-range and complex environments, greatly reducing the risk of collisions.

Advantages of LiDAR

Compared with ordinary microwave radar, laser radar uses laser beams and operates at a much higher frequency than microwaves, which brings many advantages, mainly:


1. High Resolution

LiDAR can achieve extremely high angular, distance, and velocity resolution. It can distinguish between two targets 0.3 meters apart at a distance of 3 kilometers and track multiple targets simultaneously. Distance resolution can reach 0.1 meters, and velocity resolution can reach within 10 meters per second, enabling precise identification of lane lines, curbs, and small obstacles (such as tire debris).


2. Strong Anti-Interference Capability

There are few signal sources in nature that can interfere with lidar, so lidar has strong resistance to active interference.


3. Excellent Low-Altitude Detection Performance

Microwave radar has blind spots (areas that cannot be detected) at low altitudes due to the influence of various ground echoes. For laser radar, only illuminated targets produce reflections, and there is no influence from ground echoes.


4. Compact Size and Lightweight

The aperture of a laser radar transmitter is typically only a few centimeters in diameter, and the entire system can weigh as little as a few dozen kilograms, making it easy to set up and dismantle. Additionally, the structure of laser radar is relatively simple, making it easy to maintain, operate, and cost-effective.


5. Penetration Capability

Lasers with a wavelength of 1550 nm can penetrate thin fog and light smoke (with lower attenuation compared to 905 nm), while microwave radars have stronger penetration through rain and snow but sacrifice accuracy.

Multi-Sensor Integration

Although LiDAR excels in long-range detection and 3D object recognition, it has limitations in close-range sensing and texture identification . No single sensor can fully meet all perception requirements, which is why LiDAR is often combined with other sensors (such as cameras, radar, and IMU) to achieve more comprehensive environmental perception and higher operational reliability through sensor fusion technology.


Cameras: LiDAR provides accurate 3D point cloud data via laser ranging, supporting depth perception and distance measurement to objects. Cameras deliver high-resolution color images that enable object recognition and classification. For example: LiDAR can detect the shape and position of an object, while a camera can determine whether it is a vehicle, pedestrian, or another type of obstacle.


Radar: Provides speed and distance information under various weather conditions. LiDAR delivers high-precision (millimeter-level) distance measurements within short to medium ranges (10–200 meters), but its performance can be affected by rain or fog. Radar performs well at longer distances (50–250 meters), is unaffected by weather conditions, and can penetrate fog or dust.


Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU): Measures the robot's acceleration and angular velocity, providing motion and orientation information. It supports short-term localization in GPS-denied environments.


Ultrasonic Radar Sensors: Used for close-range object detection, such as parking assistance or proximity operations.

Industry Applications

LiDAR is known for its high-precision and all-weather environmental perception capabilities, has been widely adopted across multiple industries. Its core advantage lies in the ability to generate high-resolution 3D environmental models, meeting the demands of complex lighting conditions and dynamic scenes.

Logistics and Warehousing

LiDAR helps freight robots build 3D maps of warehouses, enabling efficient transportation and inventory management.

Example: Amazon’s Kiva robots use similar technology for warehouse automation and item retrieval.

Industrial Automation

Supports robotic precision operations on assembly lines, such as part positioning or inspection in confined spaces.

Example: In General Electric factories, LiDAR assists robotic arms in performing accurate welding tasks.

Outdoor Agriculture and Forestry

Enables agricultural robots to navigate fields and perform tasks like precision seeding, weeding, and crop monitoring.

Example: Agricultural LiDAR helps robots assess crop health and plan optimal paths for treatment or harvesting.

Commercial Facilities

(Malls, Hospitals, Hotels): Helps robot chassis detect people and furniture, ensuring safe and reliable service delivery.

Example: Service robots use LiDAR to identify and guide customers.

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