A commercially-available ultra low-cost laser rangefinder is finally set to hit department store shelves in February!  I'm speaking of the laser rangefinder presented at ICRA 2008 that costs $30 to build (commented on here at Hizook almost one year ago) that sits atop the recently announced Neato Robotics XV-11 vacuum cleaner.   Others have thoroughly discussed the XV-11's competitiveness with iRobot products, the possible patent infringement of iRobots square-front design, and its ability to perform SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).  But everyone has glossed over the coolest part:  Forget the $400 robot, $60 batteries, $30 wheels (etc.) available for pre-order on Neato's website... if made available, sub-$100 laser rangefinders would revolutionize hobby robotics!  Read on for a description of this compelling (future?) component.

While perusing through Kuka's 2008 Annual Report, it became evident that the robotics giant is making a serious foray into mobile manipulation with its OmniRob concept robot (photos and videos below).  This new robot sports a omnidirectional mobile platform based on mecanum wheels, a Kuka lightweight arm, and what appear to be dual SICK LMS100 laser range finders to provide 360° lidar coverage.  Between Kuka's "toy" educational platform (covered by Hizook in October) and this more advanced offering, it is clear that Kuka is highly invested / interested in the future of mobile manipulation.  With Kuka's classic expertise in robot arms, combined with competence in omnidirectional systems via their OmniMove industrial application line, Kuka will surely be a significant force in the exciting field of mobile manipulation.

I've been meaning to mention this for some time now...  SICK has released a "new" laser rangefinder, the LMS 100.  This laser rangefinder seems to be a departure from the classic "coffee-pot" look of yore (i.e. SICK LMS 291).  In fact, it's form-factor and specifications are quite similar to the Hokuyo UTM-30LX; it seems like the LMS 100 might be SICK's strategic response to the "budget" LIDAR manufacturer's (Hokuyo's) burgeoning popularity among indoor roboticists.  Priced at $5000 USD ($1000 less with academic discounts), I'm curious how it actually compares in performance (in the field) to the $5600 Hokuyo UTM -- can anyone weigh in?  Read on for a comparison of specifications.

The Hokuyo UTM-30LX is a newer laser rangefinder from Hokuyo, with improved capabilities compared to its little brother, the Hokuyo URG-04LX (which was very popular among indoor robots).  Though it costs almost twice as much at $5600 (from distributors such as Acroname), it has greatly enhanced capabilities.  For example, the UTM has an increased scan range of 30 meters, with a 40 Hz scan rate over 270° range and 0.25° angular resolution.  These improved specs come at the cost of more power (8.4 Watts at 12VDC) and slightly larger form factor (6.0 x 6.0 x 8.5 cm).  It also performs better with absorptive surfaces (black wall trimmings are no longer problematic), and it is capable of returning intensity values in addition to range.  It seems that this laser rangefinder is a direct competitor to the SICK LMS 100, which has similar specifications and cost.

The Hokuyo URG-04LX was the first popular "budget" laser rangefinder from Hokuyo, and has been featured on many indoor robots.  It isn't the most capable laser rangefinder; it has a sensing range of only 4 meters and it has detection problems when scanning absorptive surfaces (such as black trimming).  However, it possesses a 10 Hz scan rate over 270° range, with 0.36° angular resolution, and it requires a mere 2.5 Watts of power at 5VDC.  At 5.0 x 5.0 x 7.0 cm, it is also one of the most compact laser rangefinders commercially available.  Most importantly, the URG-04LX retails for a mere $2400 (from distributors such as Acroname); at its debut, its list price was less than half that of the ever-popular SICK LMS 200-290 series of laser rangefinders!

Hokuyo is a Japanese company that specializes in "budget" laser rangefinders (LRFs, also known as LIDARs).  Unlike industrial laser rangefinder manufacturers (such as SICK), Hokuyo laser rangefinders have gained notoriety in robotics applications (particularly indoor robotics) by focusing on lower-end designs -- namely those that benefit from lower price and lower weight by way of more lax specifications and economies of scale.  Hokuyo has taken a bottom-up approach to laser rangefinder design, starting with less capable, lower cost units (such as the URG series) and progressing to more capable units (such as the UTM series).

The Omron STI OptoShield OS3100 is very similar in form and specifications to the various SICK "coffee-pot" laser rangefinders, such as the SICK LMS 291.  Due to my lack of familiarity with this particular laser rangefinder, I have no indication of cost; however, it appears to have a 25 Hz scan rate over 180° range, with 0.36° angular resolution.  The sensing range is 4 meters (at 10% reflectivity, max range of 15 meters), with an error of about 62mm.  Again, this is a "coffee pot" reader with a rugged metal housing, making it rather bulky (15.5 x 17.7 x 15.6 cm), weighing in at approximately 4.35kg.  They require approximately 20 Watts of power, operating off on a 24VDC supply.

The SICK LMS 100 is a new laser rangefinder with improved form-factor, power requirements, etc. that is well-tailored to robotic applications; in many ways, it seems to be SICK's strategic response to the Hokuyo line of compact laser rangefinders.  The SICK LMS 100 costs approximately $5000, and sports a 50 Hz scan rate over a 270° range, with 0.25° angular resolution.  Their sensing range is 18 meters (at 10% reflectivity, max range of 20 meters), with an error of about 20mm.  This new form factor is more compact (10.6 x 10.2 x 15.2 cm), weighing in at only 1.1kg.  They require approximately 12 Watts of power, operating off on a 10.9-30.0VDC supply.

The SICK LMS 291 is the latest variant of SICK "coffee-pot" laser rangefinders, which comes in a characteristic beige color.  The SICK LMS 291 costs approximately $6000 and sports a 75 Hz scan rate over 180° range, with 0.25° angular resolution.  Their sensing range is 30 meters (at 10% reflectivity, max range of 80 meters), with an error of about 10mm.  Thanks to a rugged metal housing, the LMS 291 is rather bulky (18.5 x 15.6 x 21.0 cm), weighing in at approximately 4.5kg.  They require approximately 20 Watts of power, operating off on a 24VDC supply.

SICK is a German-based company that specializes in laser rangefinders (LRFs, also known as LIDARs).  The early SICK variants were featured prominently on many robot platforms and were instrumental in the development of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms.  Within industry, SICK laser rangefinders are used extensively for safety and monitoring applications.

Hizook reader Yue Khing pointed us to another disassembled laser rangefinder (LIDAR); this time, it is an Omron STI OptoShield OS3100.  This LIDAR seems similar in form (apparently referred to as "coffee pots" in industry) and specification to the SICK LMS laser rangefinders.  Honestly, I wasn't even aware that Omron made laser rangefinders, so I'm not sure what these units cost, or how common they are; however, it is still interesting to compare their internal design to the SICK LMS series and Velodyne laser rangefinders we've already seen disassembled.  Read on for pictures and videos.

Back on December 15th, we got a look at the internals of a SICK Laser Rangefinder (LIDAR), a $6k device that employs a single laser diode to produce ~6000 points per second (~600 points per scan at ~10Hz) over a 180° field-of-view.  Now, we can compare that to the Rolls Royce of Laser Rangefinders -- the Velodyne Lidar, a $75k device employing 64 laser diodes to produce 1.3 million data points per second with a 360° horizontal field-of-view and a 26.8° vertical field-of-view.  Below is a video of Bruce Hall, President of Velodyne LIDAR, demonstrating the HDL-64E in operation and taking a look at its internals.  It may not be a complete disassembly (it does cost $75,000 afterall!), but it does provide some interesting insights into the Velodyne's internals.

I've always wanted to pull apart a SICK laser rangefinder (LIDAR).  However, the $6k price-tag (and advisor repercussions) have always been a sufficient deterrent.  Well, Kyle Vogt of MIT has disassembled what looks to be a SICK LMS-210 -- perhaps his was already broken?  Anyway, the internal design is surprisingly simple.  It's interesting to look at the internals of such iconic piece of robotics hardware.  Read on for more images.

Back on October 10th, John Leonard gave a Georgia Tech Robotics Institute talk about MIT's DARPA Urban Grand Challenge experience.  The MIT entry, a Land Rover LR3 named Talos, came in fourth place overall (out of 6 finishers and 11 qualifiers).  I thought the most interesting aspect of the design was that it was originally intended to be a "low cost" solution (meaning many $6k SICK lidars, low-cost cameras, and radars), but that ultimately the success of the design hinged on the use of the $75k Velodyne lidar and an equally (or more) expensive Applanix GPS plus Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) combo.  Regardless, it was an impressive piece of engineering, and they have released much of their code and driving datasets to the public.  Be sure to check out the rest of the post below to see some cool point-cloud visualizations made possible by those phenomenal Velodyne lidars!