Low Cost LiDAR Prototype Design for 3D Mapping

The general public started to recognize Light Detection and Ranging when the astronauts used it for mapping the surface of the moon in early 1970s. The need for using LiDAR Technology is for low-cost mapping surveys will make it easier for surveyors as well as research to obtain fairly accurate data at a more economical price. LiDAR technology works based on the time of flight (ToF) principle, using the transmission time and laser light reception to calculate the distance between the tool and the reflected object. The LiDAR device has a sensor that leads to its use which equipped by the motor as a driver so that it can rotate 360 degrees within a certain distance. LiDAR is an expensive survey tool, with the price ranging around 6600 USD due to its quality in conducting detailed data result. Therefore, this study used the LiDAR priced below 100 USD in order to minimize operational costs, which is TF mini LiDAR. This sensor has a detection range of up to 40 m, has a viewing angle of 2.3°, and able to calculate distances with an accuracy of ± 2.5 cm. This study also used GPS to determine coordinate position from the results of LiDAR processing. The advantage of LiDAR is able to detect an object in the detected location [1]. The usage of LiDAR sensor testing has been carried out in this study. The purpose of this experiment is to integrate Low Cost LiDAR with Low Cost GPS to produce a product that able to perform Low Cost 3-dimensional mapping. This survey has been carried out in a room sized 4x3 m. The data in the form of X, Y, and Z are then processed using open source software with sufficient results to describe 3D-visualization.