Orbbec Announces the Flexible MEMS-and-Motor Pulsar ME450 Lidar Sensor
From navigational scanning to millimeter-scale 3D reconstruction, Orbbec claims its new lidar sensor can do it all.
3D vision and sensing specialist Orbbec has announced it latest lidar sensor, and what it claims is the industry's first to use a combination of MEMS mirror and a motor for improved flexibility: the Orbbec Pulsar ME450.
"The Pulsar ME450 represents the industry's first multi-pattern lidar combining high-precision MEMS pitch scanning with motorized azimuth control," explains Orbbec's head of research and development Guo Wei of the company's new sensor, unveiled at the World Robot Conference today. "By overcoming single-mode limitations, we're delivering unprecedented flexibility and reliability for robotic environmental perception."
Coming shortly after Orbbec's first major entry into the lidar market, the Pulsar SL450 combines a MEMS mirror and a motor to provide greater flexibility for the scanning beam — allowing the device, the company says, to switch between non-repetitive scanning and both non-dense and dense repetitive scanning on-demand. The vertical field of view is fully adjustable, along withe rotation speed.
Orbbec says that the sensor's design "aligns with the evolving demands of robotics," and can be used for both navigation and fine-grained millimeter-level 3D reconstruction without the need to deploy two or more separate sensors — ideal, the company claims, for everything from smart forklifts and other industrial equipment to robot lawnmowers and surveying equipment.
More information on the Pulsar ME450 is available on the Orbbec website; the sensor is on sale at $549.