Country for PR: China
Contributor: PR Newswire Asia (China)
Tuesday, February 19 2019 - 21:16
AsiaNet
3D LiDAR Technology Brought to Mass-Market with a $599 Livox Sensor
SHENZHEN, China, Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/--

Low Cost, Reliable, High Performance Sensors Available Now

Livox is shifting the marketplace for LiDAR sensors by introducing a reliable, 
compact, ready-to-use solution for innovators, professionals and engineers, 
around the world working closely with 3D sensing technology. After years of 
intense R&D and exhaustive testing, Livox has released three high performance 
LiDAR sensors: The Mid-40/Mid-100, Horizon, and Tele-15. All sensors are 
developed with a wide range of different industry applications in mind, 
offering customers a best-in-class combination of precision, range, price and 
size.

As the first available Livox sensor, the Mid-40/Mid-100 sensor can accurately 
sense three-dimensional spatial information under various environmental 
conditions, and plays an indispensable role in fields such as autonomous 
driving, robotics, mapping, logistics, security, search and rescue, to name a 
few. 

Low Cost and Mass Production

Traditionally, high-performance mechanical LiDAR products usually demand 
highly-skilled personnel and are therefore prohibitively expensive and in short 
supply. To encourage the adoption of LiDAR technology in a number of different 
industries ranging from 3D mapping and surveying to robotics and engineering, 
Livox Mid-40/Mid-100 is developed with cost-efficiency in mind while still 
maintaining superior performance.

Instead of using expensive laser emitters or immature MEMS scanners, 
Mid-40/Mid-100 adopts lower cost semiconductor components for light generation 
and detection. The entire optical system, including the scanning units, uses 
proven and readily available optical components such as those employed in the 
optical lens industry. This sensor also introduces a uniquely-designed low cost 
signal acquisition method to achieve superior performance. All these factors 
contribute to an accessible price point - $599 for a single unit of Mid-40.

Livox Mid-40/Mid-100 adopts a large aperture refractive scanning method that 
utilizes a coaxial design. This approach uses far fewer laser detector pairs, 
yet maintains the high point density and detection distances. This design 
dramatically reduces the difficulty of optical alignment during production and 
enable significant production yield increase.

Powerful and Compact

The Mid-40 sensor covers a circular FOV of 38.4 degrees with a detection range 
of up to 260 meters (for objects with reflectivity at 80%). Meanwhile, the 
Mid-100 combines three Mid-40 units internally to form an expansive horizontal 
FOV of 98.4 degrees (Horizontal) x 38.4 degrees (Vertical). The point rate for 
Mid-40 is 100,000 points/s while for Mid-100 is 300,000 points/s. The range 
precision (1 lowercase sigma @ 25 m) of each sensor is 2 cm[1] and the angular 
accuracy is < 0.1 degrees. 

Livox sensor's advanced non-repetitive scanning patterns deliver 
highly-accurate details. These scanning patterns even provide high point 
density in a short period of time and can even build up a higher density as the 
duration increases. The Mid series can achieve the same or greater point 
density as conventional 32-line LiDAR sensors. 

With this level of 3D sensing capability, Livox has optimized the hardware and 
mechanical design, so that a compact body[2] of Mid sensors enables users to 
easily embed units into existing designs.

Reliable and Safe

All Livox LiDAR sensors are individually and thoroughly tested and are proved 
to work in a variety of environments. Every single unit has a false detection 
rate of less than one ten-thousandth, even in the 100 klx sunlight 
condition[3]. Each sensor's laser power meets the requirements for a Class 1 
laser product to IEC 60825-1(2014) and is safe for human eyes[4]. The 
Mid-40/Mid-100 operate in temperatures between -4 degrees F and 149 degrees F 
(-20 degrees C to 65 degrees C) and always reliably output point cloud data for 
objects with different reflectivity. Livox LiDAR does not use any moving 
electronic components, thus avoiding challenges such as slip ring failures, a 
common problem in conventional, rotating LiDAR units. Livox has also optimized 
the optoelectronic system, including software, firmware, and algorithms, 
enhancing environmental adaption in a wide variety of conditions including 
rain, smoke, and fog.

Livox Horizon and Tele-15

Beside Mid-40/Mid-100 sensors, Livox is currently working on extending its 
product portfolio with two additional LiDAR sensors, the Horizon and Tele-15.

The Livox Horizon is a high-performance LiDAR which offers a broader FOV with 
much higher coverage ratio while retaining all the key advantages of the 
Mid-40, such as long detection range, high precision, and a compact size. 
Compared with the Mid-40, the Horizon has a similar measuring range, but 
features a more-rectangular-shaped FOV that is 81.7 degrees horizontal and 25.1 
degrees vertical, highly suitable for autonomous driving applications. The 
Horizon also delivers real-time point cloud data that is three times denser 
than the Mid series LiDAR sensors. 

Made for advanced long-distance detection, the Livox Tele-15 offers the compact 
size, high-precision, and durability of the Mid-40 while vastly extending the 
real-time mapping range. This allows users to detect and avoid obstacles well 
in advance when moving at higher speeds.

As for the Tele-15, it features an ultra-long measuring range of 500 meters 
when reflectivity is at 80%. Even with 20% reflectivity, the measuring range is 
still up to 250 meters. In addition, the Tele-15 has a circular FOV of 15 
degrees and delivers a point cloud that is 17 times denser than the Mid-40. 
These key features enable the Tele-15 to see objects far ahead with great 
details.

Livox Hub

The Livox Hub is a streamlined way to integrate and manage Livox LiDAR sensors 
and their data outputs. When using Livox Hub with our LiDAR SDK, you will have 
unified access to software and hardware, making the development process 
simplified and efficient. The Livox Hub can access up to 9 LiDAR sensors 
simultaneously and supports an input range of 10-23V.

Livox SDK

To release the unlimited potential of LiDAR, Livox SDK offers a wide range of 
essential tools that help users develop unique applications and algorithms. The 
Livox SDK supports various development platforms, such as C and C++ in 
Linux/Windows/ROS and applies to all existing products such as Livox Mid-40, 
Mid-100, Horizon, Tele-15, Hub.

Price and Availability 

The US retail price of a Livox Mid-40 sensor is $599 USD. The Livox Mid-100 
sensor is available for $1.499 USD. (Prices in other regions Mid-40/Mid-100: 
EUR599/EUR1.499, GBP539/GBP1.339, JPY 77,490/JPY197,100)

For orders of over 60 units of Mid-40, or over 30 units of Mid-100, please 
contact Livox Sales at sales@livoxtech.com for a discount.

Starting today, the Livox Mid-40/Mid-100 LiDAR sensor is available for purchase 
through DJI's online store (https://store.dji.com/product/livox-mid) in the 
European Union, United States and Japan. To purchase Livox products in other 
regions please contact sales@livoxtech.com.

Livox Horizon and Tele-15 will be available in the second half of 2019. Livox 
Hub samples are available now, please contact sales@livoxtech.com for more 
information.

Product Pictures are available here: https://bit.ly/2SbM2Kx

About Livox
Livox Technology Company Limited is committed to LiDAR sensor technologies. The 
company was founded and is run by people with a dedicated passion providing 
high-reliability LiDAR products that are high performance, low cost and ready 
to be put to use by customers around the world. 

With offices in Hong Kong, Japan and Shenzhen, Livox is committed to providing 
3D sensing technology for various environmental conditions, and it plays an 
indispensable role in many fields such as autonomous driving, logistics, 
robotics, mapping, security, search and rescue, and more.

For more information, please visit/contact:
Website: https://www.livoxtech.com  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnLpB5QxlQUexi40vM12mNQ  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LivoxTech  
Sales: sales@livoxtech.com  
Marketing: marketing@livoxtech.com  
Customer Service: cs@livoxtech.com   
Join us: career@livoxtech.com 

[1] Measured in an environment of 25 degrees C with a target (80% reflectivity) 
20 meters away. The result may vary under different test conditions.
 
[2] Dimensions: 88x69x76 mm (Mid-40) and 142x70x230 mm (Mid-100)
 
    Weight: Approx. 710 g (Mid-40) and Approx. 2200 g (Mid-100)
 
[3] Detection Range (@ 100 klx)
 
    90 m @ 10% reflectivity
 
    130 m @ 20% reflectivity 
 
    260 m @ 80% reflectivity
 
[4] Livox LiDAR sensors are rigorously tested and certified to be Class 1 laser 
products to meet IEC 60825-1(2014) standard by professional third-party agencies

SOURCE: Livox