Emesent Hovermap ST Sets Standard for Autonomous Lidar Mapping

Emesent today announced the launch of Hovermap ST, the latest version of their world-leading Hovermap autonomy and mapping payload. The tough, lightweight, IP65 rated Hovermap ST is being released with Emesent’s new automated ground control point feature. This powerful combination is poised to set the standard for survey-grade autonomous Lidar mapping in challenging environments.

Since its 2019 launch, Hovermap has made significant impacts in mining and other verticals, earning a reputation for its versatility, ease of use, and mapping data quality. With thousands of hours of autonomous flight logged by customers around the world, it is the most proven Lidar mapping and autonomy solution for challenging GPS-denied environments.

Hovermap ST with the ground control feature builds on this reputation with significant improvements, allowing autonomous data capture in even harsher environments and for a wider range of use cases. “We’re excited to be providing our customers with a new robust and reliable autonomous mapping tool for challenging environments, including those that were previously not well suited to SLAM-based mapping,” said Emesent CEO and Co-Founder Dr Stefan Hrabar.

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) based systems have proved their value for rapid mapping of complex environments, but achieving survey-grade accuracy and repeatability has been a challenge in some environments. Surveyors were faced with a compromise between fast data capture and data accuracy, depending on the job requirements.

This is no longer the case with Hovermap ST and the ground control feature, as the feature enhances the SLAM solution to remove SLAM drift and produce survey-grade, georeferenced point clouds.

“This is a huge step forward for mobile mapping, providing unrivalled SLAM accuracy and workflow efficiencies,” said Dr Hrabar.

Emesent ground control targets are placed in the environment and captured in a continuous scan with Hovermap ST. There is no need to stop or place Hovermap on the targets, ensuring the capture process remains as efficient as before. The targets are automatically detected by Emesent’s SLAM processing engine and used to both improve the SLAM result and automatically georeference the point cloud to the control points. The process includes automated constellation matching between detected targets and known survey coordinates, eliminating cumbersome manual work which can introduce errors.

Hovermap ST has been redesigned from the ground up with robustness and reliability in mind, without compromising mapping quality. It features a lightweight, IP65 weather-sealed design, a powerful embedded computer for autonomy and mapping, and an accessory expansion port to further enhance its capabilities. The rotating Lidar produces up to 600,000 points per second in dual return mode, covering a near-spherical field of view.

Hovermap’s Tap-to-Fly autonomy feature enables Guided Exploration in previously inaccessible areas beyond the line of sight and communication range. The omnidirectional Collision Avoidance and smart Return-To-Home functions ensure assets are kept safe and valuable equipment isn’t damaged or lost. Equally capable above ground or underground, indoors or out, Hovermap ST’s unique plug and play design enables seamless switching between drone, walking, vehicle, or backpack-mounted scanning, providing the versatility needed to capture data anywhere.

This powerful combination of precision engineering, world-leading SLAM algorithms, and robust drone autonomy capabilities provide accurate Lidar mapping for as-builts, surveys, or inspections. Data capture experts worldwide have been using Hovermap to map challenging environments, from entire municipalities for improved development planning to road tunnel inspections to identify defects.

Now, Hovermap ST with the automatic ground control feature will empower users to capture these environments and others, more accurately and faster than ever before.

About Emesent

Emesent is a world leader in drone autonomy, Lidar mapping, and data analytics. Headquartered in Australia, with a global reach through their network of 40+ resellers and regional offices in the US, UK, and Germany. Founded in 2018, their vision is to be the world leaders in the autonomous digitalization of the most challenging and seemingly unreachable places on Earth and beyond. Emesent has built a reputation for delivering high-quality data capture in the mining, infrastructure, survey, and mapping industries. Their team of roboticists, engineers, and business development experts work side by side to deliver revolutionary efficiency, safety, and operational insights to their customers.