

Ask HN: How would you use a multipoint laser range finder? - GrantHunter

Hello,
We are a group working on a project for 3day startup event (http:&#x2F;&#x2F;nait.3daystartup.org&#x2F;). We want to develop a cheap multipoint laser range finder. Currently laser range finders measure distance by measuring the time it takes a burst of laser pulse travel between sensor and distant object. In order to collect data over a lager area they use a spinning mirror. Our system would work by firing a infrared laser through a diffraction grating and using a specialized camera to measure the distance between the laser points to calculate the distance. The diffraction grating gives the  sensor a 90 degree field of view.<p>We think we can make an accurate and robust laser range finding system for a fraction of the cost of traditional systems.
This would be ideal for robot and drone navigation and collision avoidance systems,  security perimeter or safety alert system.<p>We&#x27;re still finalizing our designs, and want feedback from people who would want to use this system.
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webnrrd2k
Just some ideas off the top of my head:

Maybe construction? I'd think it would be really useful to have a good range
finding/measurement system when doing almost any kind of construction. If you
could get a really good set of measurements of, say, inside of a kitchen, then
you could build new cabinets at a shop (saving money vs. building them on
site) and then install them with out worrying about how well they fit.

Would it be useful in emergency situations? Woodland firefighting in
particular -- could it be mounted to the front of a helicopter and used to
keep track of where the fire is, and how it related to the terrain? Then it
all gets mapped out, along with the GPS coordinates of firefighters and
equipment and you'd have a good emergency incident command system.

Could the diffraction grating idea be used to improve FLIR systems?

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cjchandler
Hi, I'm the physicist on the group, and we have considered the problem of
background IR radiation. We can overcome this problem is a couple ways: First
we're using sub millisecond laser pulses so that while still being eye safe
are much brighter than the background. Second, since we use an IR laser
instead of LED we can use a narrow pass filter so that we are only sensitive
to the specific wavelength of our laser.

Thanks a lot for you interest though, check out our page and blog for updates!
[http://www.mylanderpages.com/omnirange](http://www.mylanderpages.com/omnirange)

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LarryMade2
Room/building mapping. Would it work for mapping out a floor plan of a
building? I've seen a few examples that either require wall access with a
tablet, or some bulky backpack device with a bunch of cameras. If you could
make something that can sit on a pole and either USB or bluetooth to a
recorder and make its map from near the ceiling (where there’s hopefully a
minimum of obstacles to compute) I think that would be useful.

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jletts
I was actually thinking about laser range finders recently, while trying to
measure a room alone with a tape measure. A laser range finder would have made
things much easier and more accurate!

Also had a few thoughts about LIDAR...

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igor47
The problem with infra red is that it doesn't work as well in bright sunlight.
But i would love to play with a system like that for my hobby robotics
projects.

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contingencies
Distance checking for scoring in sports.

