Clearpath Robotics’ partners with Cepton 3D on lidar solutions for autonomous robots

Cepton Technologies, a provider of 3D sensing solutions for automotive, industrial and mapping applications, is partnering with Clearpath Robotics, a global provider of mobile robots for research and development.

The partnership extends the availability of Cepton’s HR80 Series lidar – light detection and radar – sensors to Clearpath Robotics’ online store.

Availability on the Clearpath online store provides professionals and researchers a means to augment their unmanned robotic vehicle purchases with 3D sensing capabilities. High-volume orders are available directly through Cepton. 

Julian Ware, general manager for research solutions at Clearpath Robotics, says: “Self-driving robotic vehicles are uniquely qualified to take on some of the most dangerous jobs in the industrial workplace.

“For them to be successful in this role, they need the ability to ‘see,’ and in turn, perform more complex tasks. This is fueling the growing trend of 3D lidar for unmanned robotic vehicles, a significant improvement from the single-line scanning abilities of a similar 2D device.

“Cepton’s HR80 Series of 3D lidar devices meets this market need while delivering unrivaled 80 lines of vertical resolution, and we’re delighted to make them available to Clearpath customers.”

Cepton’s HR80W and HR80T sensors are bringing 3D perception to Clearpath autonomous vehicles and robots, a partnership that will be demonstrated live at IROS 2017.

Cepton says the benefits of its lidar offerings include micro-motion technology removes expensive, ungainly spinning parts common in traditional lidar units, resulting in smaller and more reliable sensors that do not compromise on resolution or range.

Use of off-the-shelf materials reduces delivery wait time and overall cost, says Cepton, which adds that automation of production makes for easy scaling of manufacturing.

The HR80T is said to have a detection range of beyond 200 meters, 80 lines of vertical resolution and better than 0.2-degree angular resolution in both horizontal and vertical directions.

Dr Mark McCord, co-founder and VP of engineering at Cepton, says: “It’s a struggle to obtain high quality lidar sensors today, without having to wait for months or pay an outsized amount of money. There’s a dearth of lidar solutions that balance long-range, high-resolution performance with affordability.

“Given Clearpath’s leadership in autonomous mobile robotics solutions, joining their online store makes our solutions available to a new swath of customers who seek viable lidar solutions to enable robotic autonomy. We’re excited to join with Clearpath to bring visions to machines that could not see, and make the autonomous future brighter.”