A Low-Cost Laser Distance Sensor

Citation

K. Konolige, J. Augenbraun, N. Donaldson, C. Fiebig and P. Shah, “A low-cost laser distance sensor,” 2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Pasadena, CA, USA, 2008, pp. 3002-3008, doi: 10.1109/ROBOT.2008.4543666.

Abstract

Many indoor robotics systems use laser rangeflnders as their primary sensor for mapping, localization, and obstacle avoidance. The cost and power of such systems is a major roadblock to the deployment of low-cost, efficient consumer robot platforms for home use. In this paper, we describe a compact, planar laser distance sensor (LDS) that has capabilities comparable to current laser scanners: 3 cm accuracy out to 6 m, 10 Hz acquisition, and 1 degree resolution over a full 360 degree scan. The build cost of this device, using COTS electronics and custom mechanical tooling, is under $30.


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