August 31, 2009
Following the phenomenal uptake of its HDL-64E sensor worldwide, Velodyne will be attending the prestigious Defence Systems & Equipment International 2009 exhibition. The largest exhibition in the world to incorporate defence and security runs from 8-11 September 2009 at ExCeL London.
Velodyne’s manufacture of the HDL-64E High Definition Lidar sensor marks a revolution in the field of lidar technology. Using 64 lasers contained within a fast-spinning unit, the HDL-64E creates a truly three-dimensional terrain map. Visitors to the Defense Systems & Equipment International exhibition can view the technology in action at stand 108.
A corridor of 220m can be mapped in great detail using the mobile sensor, as the HDL-64E unit collects over 1.3 million points per second. Each laser is individually calibrated in the factory prior to the unit being shipped to ensure that it achieves the highest degree of accuracy.
Since its successful utilisation by five of the six autonomous vehicles to complete the world-famous DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007, the HDL-64E has been adopted by numerous military and business concerns around the globe.
Several US, European and international military contractors and projects have already employed the HDL-64E for classified purposes. US road inspection companies have selected the HDL-64E to complement existing road mapping technology. Car manufacturers, meanwhile, are employing HDL-64E technology to advance automated vehicle and collision avoidance research.
Other sectors that have expressed an interest in the potential of the innovative technology include the video games and animation industries. It is the HDL-64E sensor that is responsible for the stunning imagery in Radiohead’s music video promo for House of Cards.
Routescene was recently granted distribution rights in the UK and Republic of Ireland for the groundbreaking HDL-64E Lidar sensor and will support Velodyne at the Defense Systems & Equipment International 2009 exhibition.
Gert Riemersma, Technical Director of Routescene, comments: “The HDL-64E Lidar sensor technology is very new in Europe and we are delighted to be able to offer our customers support and access to this innovative equipment.
“We are very excited by the range of possibilities offered by the HDL-64E Lidar sensor. Our main focus is to promote the technology within the geospatial/mapping sector – for military, emergency response and civil purposes – but we have already had numerous enquiries from other sectors. These are exciting times: we can now create high definition 3D models in a short space of time, an exercise that previously would have taken weeks to complete using traditional survey methods.”
Notes to editors
Technical description
The Velodyne HDL-64E Lidar sensor is a true 3D laser ranging sensor containing 64 independent lasers. It offers full 360° by 26.8° field of vision (FOV) and with the sensor head spinning at 900rpm ensures that a full 3D image is obtained 15 times per second. Weighting only 15kg the unit is easily mounted on autonomous vehicles or robots and it can be easily integrated into existing control and recording systems using the 100Mbps ethernet connection which will output 1.3 million points per second.
About Velodyne
Founded in the US in 1983, Velodyne is a leading manufacturer of lidar sensors. The prototype of the HDL-64E Lidar sensor was developed for the DARPA Grand Challenge 2006 and commercialised in time for use by contestants in the Urban Challenge 2007. The sensor is also used in myriad military and commercial applications.
About Routescene
Routescene is a trading name of MAPIX technologies Ltd. The company is best known for its geo-referenced video recording and review solutions, which are used by numerous organisations involved in the asset management and inspection of road networks across the UK and Europe. The RS100 geo-referenced data recorder and control unit integral to Routescene has already been upgraded to support the HDL-64E Lidar sensor, enabling each scan to be geo-referenced and corrected for roll and pitch.
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