Have you ever wondered that by just using light waves, so many things have been accomplished in various fields?

In this blog, we will be discussing LIDAR, a major technological breakthrough that has created a great impact.

LIDAR or Light Detection and Ranging is an active remote sensing technology that uses light waves in order to measure distance. Light pulses, combined with other data points generated by the system, create accurate 3-D information about an object in relation to its environment. LiDAR can see through objects, such as walls or trees. It can be used to create high-resolution digital elevation models with vertical accuracy of up to 10 centimeters.

LIDAR consists of:-

A laser scanner

GPS

Inertial Navigation System (INS)

This LIDAR equipment is generally mounted on vehicles for various sensing purposes. The most common application of this technology is the self-driving cars or driverless cars, introduced by tesla. Let us now see how this technology works :

Let’s explore some of the applications of LIDAR :

Autonomous vehicles: If you’ve seen a self-driving car before, you’ve probably seen a LiDAR sensor. LiDAR works as an eye of the autonomous vehicle. Imagine if your eyes allowed you to see in all directions all the time. Imagine if, instead of guessing, you could always know the precise distance of objects in relation to you. LiDAR enables a self-driving car to view the surroundings with special powers.

2. Agriculture: LiDAR can be used to create a 3D elevation map of a particular land. This can be converted to create a slope and sunlight exposure area map. This information can be used to identify the areas which require more water or fertilizer and help the farmers to save on their cost of labor, time, and money.

3. Archeology and Building Construction: LiDAR plays an important role for archeologists to understand the surface. LiDAR can detect micro-topography that is hidden by vegetation which helps archaeologists to understand the surface. Ground-based LiDAR technology can be used to capture the structure of the building. This digital information can be used for 3D mapping on the ground which can be used to create models of the structure. It is very useful for maintaining a record of the structure.

4. Climate change: Climate scientists use LiDAR to study and track changes in the atmosphere. Researchers in Germany have developed an airborne LiDAR system that can track atmospheric gases and may even be usable from space. Botanists are using it to track patterns in changes to forested areas. LiDAR also is used to calculate changes in glaciers over time.

Some more implementations of LIDAR from my Iphone 13 Pro Max:-

ROOM SCAN

VIRTUAL HUMAN BODY

INTERESTING GAME OPTIONS

I would highly recommend Iphone Users to go through applications like :

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canvas-pocket-3d-room-scanner/id1514382369

‎Scaniverse - LiDAR 3D Scanner

‎NOTE: Scaniverse uses LiDAR to scan the world. As a result, it only works on devices with a LiDAR sensor: the iPhone…

apps.apple.com

For any further queries or anything related to Lidar or Augmented Reality or Iphone Development, Coding, Blogging, or Tech Documentation you can DM me on Linkedin or Instagram at id=acanubhav94.

Special credits to my team members: Mihir and Anshika