Come see us at Commercial UAV Expo Americas, 7-9 September, In Las Vegas, NV - Booth #814
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• LightWare LiDARs are reliable and they work
“LightWare LiDAR are kind of our de facto standard now, for us, because they are reliable, they work!”
“Sometimes clients ask me to evaluate other LiDARs on the market… And you know, they do work, but they don’t have the same track record as LightWare in terms of hours and number of users using them.”
“LightWare LiDARs are lightweight, they’re easy to use”
– Curtis Leo, CTO, Leo Technologies
Leo Technologies, as headed up by Curtis Leo is a UAV and UGV consultancy operating in the Unmanned Vehicle industry. His objective is to help UAV and UGV manufacturers develop their products, “from the ground up” by taking on the responsibility for time-consuming research and leveraging his knowledge of UAV componentry, LiDAR, drones and robotics to meet the requirements of their unique vehicle applications. He is an active member of the Ardupilot community and Ardupilot Cube reseller. He is also a big advocate of LightWare LiDAR sensors, having used them on many projects.
Leo Technologies build solutions for multi rotor drones, quad copters, Vtols, aircraft and robotics in general. Most builds include the use of GPS, barometers and but in Leo’s experience there’s still a very limited consideration for LiDAR in the industry. “In my experience, the most overlooked component is LiDAR. Just the simple consideration of a downward-facing LiDAR for altimetry. The funny thing is that this is where components have become relatively inexpensive nowadays – so there’s no reason why you should not put a LiDAR on. I make it as a standard on my builds as it comes down to safety. It’s the ultimate way to identify where your aircraft is and in relation to the ground, and my clients trust me – so I show them the benefits of having LiDAR ” says Leo. Leo Technologies applications for LiDAR usage vary by client, and Leo is not at liberty to disclose specifics around any of his clients, but typically they are trying to solve real challenges around data measurement, mapping, altimetry (height above ground or AGL) and other craft safety considerations like collision avoidance.
When it comes to testing and prototyping a new build Leo uses (and highly recommends) the LightWare SF22 integrated to an Arduino board. “It’s quick. I have interfaced the data output from a SF22 to an Arduino board and been able to demonstrate a point cloud system for a ground rover to perform detect and avoid operations as a result of a forward-facing LiDAR application. Basically, set it up to perform simple object detection for a client as a proof of concept”. Equally he has found the SF22 LiDAR sensor to be suitable in a factory automation system when a client has wanted to know the exact positioning of pallets. “It’s a very inexpensive way to build industrial automation systems,” says Leo. “A client wanted a way to quickly interface a LiDAR, because they needed to know how close they could get this pallet to a certain location. I fired it up – serial out and done! I mean, it was actually hooked up to a PLC controller!” Leo Technologies also makes use of the full line of LiDAR sensors, such as SF30/D’s and LW20’s in other client applications.
Should you need assistance with either prototyping or building your unmanned vehicle, consider approaching Leo Technologies to assist. Let them take on the responsibility for research and development. Leo Technologies will ensure that you have a world class UV build that meets your unique business requirements and in-field challenges head-on using only the best components based on years of experience.
