SUAS News posted an article today about the Kespry Drone 2.0, a commercial drone that is advertised as requiring minimal human input during a mission. It has a forward looking LiDAR sensor specifically for obstacle sensing and collision avoidance. This might be that first commercially available drone to have LiDAR as standard equipment.
Looking at their website, I see that Kespry is offering cloud services to go with their new drone. This fits nicely into the business model that CA has suggested is essential for the long term sustainability of a modern drone company. Lasers and cloud services, I wish I'd thought of that!
Comments
Hi Gary
You're almost definitely right that it's a Lightware ranger. I'm aware that Pulsed Light is gone but I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the Lidar Lite V3 from Garmin. I was trying to figure out if Kespry got ahold of the new sensor early to include in this product.
I agree that the location of the Lidar on this copter doesn't seem optimal in terms of obstacle avoidance but maybe they have an intelligent way around that by fusing the camera data?
Won't really know until the release I suppose.
Hi Brandon,
Lidar Lite made by Pulsed Light is out of business, sold off to Garmin and not being made any more.
Looks a lot more like a Lightware longer range Lidar to me.
And since Laser Developer who posted this works for Lightware, seems like a good bet.
One thing does bother me though, the Lidar shown senses a single very small spot directly in front of the copter with no scanning.
This does not present a comprehensive picture of what is in front of the aircraft and there are a lot of things you could easily still fly straight into - telephone pole or tree branch for instance.
Best,
Gary
Does that look like a lidar lite in there to anyone else?
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