TF Mini LiDAR (ToF) Laser Range Sensor V2.0

We truly live in a world of the future, with sensors and scanners that can scope out the world around us and tell us so many bits of information that would have typically remained completely invisible to us. One such Sensor Module, which we’re quite excited to experiment with ourselves, is the TF Mini LiDAR (ToF) Laser Range Sensor by DFRobot.

This LiDAR sensor operates in a similar fashion to Radar and Sonar Time-Of-Flight based systems, but utilises precision laser optics to survey and document the world. Commonly found on modern (expensive) cars nowadays, these Distance Sensors offer far greater accuracy than previous Radar and Sonar, and is excellent for measuring fine distances – so much so that the user can easily identify a person standing in a forest or a crab amongst a bed of sea shells.

This LiDAR sensing is the same technology that is being integrated into self-driving cars, and is now available in hobbyist format for you to play, learn and build cool projects with!

Additional Resources:

• DFRobot Official Wiki Page for the LiDAR TF Mini.
• TF Mini LiDAR Documentation with Example Code.
• TF Mini LiDAR PC Software.
• TF Mini LiDAR Product Manual.

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.