Livox + SLAM

[Dragos Ioan Coste]

Anyone has used this with SLAM yet, with maybe some very cheap IMU ?

In theory, based on the SDK, it should be fairly easy to attach this to a tablet using a 3D printed frame/lock and also use the RGB info from the tablet's camera in order to colorize the resulting point cloud.

Same goes for using it attached to a Mavic or Phantom. There's a guy on reddit who has attached it to a Spark, but he hasn't replied when I've asked him what SLAM solution has he used.

Obviously, this workflow would only be suitable for people who don't really need absolute positioning - but for archeological purposes this would be excellent.

[Jon H]

I think the reddit post was a DJI F450 (and not a Spark). I have a Spark, and the payload would not be within any realm of possibility of reaching the 750+ grams of the Livox. It's also very unlikely to attach to a Mavic or Phantom.I'd recommend something like the DJI spreading wings or the frame used in the showcase. A Tarot frame might work as well. 

The F450 would be really pushing the limits of that payload with 750 grams, so a hex or octo should be the minimum (and safer when you're carrying $800+ worth of gear (even if using cheap sensors).

[Ben langp]

I found this project from HKU-Mars-Lab. They use Livox LiDAR with LOAM:https://github.com/hku-mars/loam_livox

It seem nice, but maybe have some problems when rotating because FOV is too narrow comparing to Velodyne's 360.

[ziv.l...@gmail.com]

Hi~, thank for mentioning our works on GitHub,  I am Lin Jiarong, the author of "Loam-livox" (https://github.com/hku-mars/loam_livox).  The scenario you mention is exactly true. Since the FOV of livox-lidar is about 38.4° (actually the effective FOV is  34 °, we abandon the point near the edge of the circle). When the lidar rotates, the overlapping area is getting smaller, the case of degeneration might happen (especially for those surrounding feature is less), make the state estimation not so reliable. However, if the feature (edge and planar) in the overlapping area is enough, we can still estimate the state well.  

[ziv.l...@gmail.com]

We are going on addressing this problem by adding an extra IMU.

[Dragos Ioan Coste]

Hi Lin - would it be better to add a second lidar unit, so you can have a larger combined FOV ? or even 3 ?

[ziv.l...@gmail.com]

Sure~, but for robotics applications (especially for UAV),  I prefer using a LIVOX+IMU since 800g per lidar is still too heavy in such scenarios.

[Noli Sicad]

Probably, I think it would be good to use Reach M+ as IMU + GPS (RTK)

https://emlid.com/au/reach/

Scott Gardner managed incorporate Reach in Velodyne Puck 16.

https://community.emlid.com/t/reach-with-velodyne-puck-lite/2773

Noli

[darli...@gmail.com]

Hi Noli~ I think the case you provide is a good demo to follow. But I have a question that Reach M+ are the RTK GNSS modules for UAV mapping known from the website, not INS. So which IMU modules were used in the case? I'm sorry if my questions are stupid.

[darli...@gmail.com]

[a...@netspace.net.au]

We have heavy lift Hybrid Multi Rotor UAV with one hour flight duration and I would very much like to get some data ref possible accuracy perhaps using precise Ground Control Points and a SLAM.

Obviously a good IMU is a big help but very costly. The ideal would be a Livox tied to a $2000 IMU.

Output accuracy for survey needs to be 1 cm. I am unsure what the market is for 2 / 3 cm accuracy.

I'd appreciate staying in the loop to see how things proress.

Ned

[ktejas...@gmail.com]

Hii Lin , we have used your repository and were able to get point cloud with mid 40 .Thanks to you.

However we couldn't get a stitched map as expected. We did not add an external camera to livox.
 Is camera necessary to get a stitched map?? If yes, how is the camera helping or what data is camera providing to livox  mid 40?

[Abhijeet Chaves]

Hi Lin, I am new to using github. 

1) I like the loam example you have created which. Are you able to provide a step by step process?

2) Which Livox LiDAR would you recommend out of Livox Mid-40 or Mid-100 or Horizon. I will be mounting it on a DJI M600 Pro.

3)  What all hardware and software will I need?

Thanks and look forward to your response.

[Abhijeet Chaves]

Hi Livox Dev Team,

Regarding the SLAM video https://www.livoxtech.com/horizon

Can you please give us a step by step process to achieve this?