RP LiDAR A1 360° Laser Range Sensor

Self-driven cars, AI mobile robots and autopilot drones are no longer things of fiction in today’s world of fascinating Electronics. With high-tech environmental sensors like the RP LiDAR A1 Laser Range Sensor, you can make SciFi a reality. LiDAR is a type of detection system that adopts its name from radar. This LiDAR Sensor 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 are 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 seashells. The same technology used to create high-resolution maps of forests, archaeological sites and even world geography is packed neatly inside of the RP LiDAR A1 Laser Range Sensor for Makers to enjoy in a cost-effective hobbyist format.

You may easily attach the RP LiDAR A1 to a mobile robot, drone, or another fun Electronics Project to experiment with simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM, for which this module is designed. For obstacle avoidance, the RP LiDAR A1 has excellent spatial resolution with a configurable scan rate up to 10Hz, making it very good at detecting small obstacles. However, this is usually considered a 2D LiDAR as it turns 360° on its mounted level. This means the Sensor will have trouble detecting floor and low hanging obstacles unless some extra tinkering is done to spin your sensor horizontally as well for capturing 3D scans.

The RP LiDAR A1 Laser Range Sensor has a detection range of up to 12m, more than enough to map the inside of your standard living room. Its impressive environmental sensors spin 360° at 8000 times a second which is one of the best in the LiDAR industry to date. By incorporating the RP LiDAR A1 Sensor in your tinkering, you will grant your intermediate to advanced Robotic projects the gift of high-precision sight!

Typical Applications for the RP LiDAR Laser Range Sensor:

With so many cool and exciting applications for the RP LiDAR Laser Range Sensor, it’s hard to know where to begin. Self-driven cars, AI mobile robots and autopilot drones definitely get us excited! If you are also intrigued about experimenting with robotics, object avoidance and environmental mapping, then this RP LiDAR Laser Range Sensor is a worthwhile investment. This 360° LiDAR Sensor reaches a 12m range with a resolution rate up to 10Hz, more than enough to create smart object avoidant robotics or even digitally map out the inside of your own living room.

Additional Resources:

• For more resources and more information from the developers of the RP LiDAR A1, have a look at the Official SlamTec Downloads Page.
• The RP LiDAR Github has a ROS SLAMWARE Package and more for you to create your next LiDAR project!
• If you are looking for a place to get started with LiDAR, Drone Mesh on YouTube created a great insightful unboxing and review video of the RD LiDAR A1:

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.