Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with LiDAR: A Comprehensive Guide

For autonomous flight, LiDARs detect the environment around the drone, similar to autonomous driving, and identify any unexpected obstacles in the flight path as soon as possible to avoid them. LiDARs can also help drones accurately detect landing sites. This LiDAR integrates a LiDAR sensor and an RGB camera to simultaneously acquire point cloud data and visible light images, resulting in a high-density true color dot cloud with a vertical accuracy greater than 2 cm without terrestrial control points. Although it acknowledges that LiDAR competes with traditional stereophotogrammetry, since it was used to generate cutting lines (creating 3D polylines to represent elements such as curbs, retaining walls and bridges), NV5 has just started to dedicate itself to everything related to 3D LiDAR, since being able to see under vegetation and generate so many points on the ground has been an enormous advantage for the company, says Fraser.

The topographic Lidar maps the Earth with a near-infrared laser, while the bathymetric Lidar uses green light that penetrates the water to measure the seabed and the riverbed. Utility operators can now carry out aerial inspections of small infrastructure components (including power lines) with the help of affordable LiDAR systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

What Should Business Leaders Consider When Deciding if They Should Use LiDAR Drone Systems?

Business leaders should consider if they would be better served with ground-based LiDAR modules when deciding if they are going to use LiDAR drone systems. It explains the best use cases, how data accuracy is guaranteed when capturing a drone-based LiDAR, why LiDAR and high-resolution images are complementary technologies and new market opportunities for bathymetric LiDAR.

By tracking the most recent uses of drones with LiDAR sensors, you can determine if these useful unmanned aerial vehicles fit your company's plans.

How Can Companies Compare Hardware Options?

With the increasing availability of LiDAR drones, technology buyers can begin to compare hardware options to find the perfect UAV and sensor load for their purposes. Mapping an archaeological site with a LiDAR UAV is fast and efficient compared to ground-based scanning and mapping methods. Companies from construction to public safety, agriculture, mining and more can transform their daily workflows with this LiDAR UAV in action.

What Are The Costs of Using a Drone With a Lidar Sensor?

The integration of LiDAR sensors in commercial drones makes LiDAR mapping more affordable, although the cost remains difficult to estimate. As the costs and weight of LiDAR decrease, the mathematics could change for some of these companies, encouraging greater adoption of LiDAR.

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