Using a Laser Rangefinder – Hokuyo

Range sensing is a crucial element of any environment and obstacle mapping system for mobile robotics applications. Sensors that are suitable for the environment and obstacle mapping include 2D Ladar and 3D Ladar. However, a cost-effective approach for the environment and obstacle mapping is to mount a 2D laser scanner that is aimed forward and downward on the front end of a mobile robot.

Getting ready

In this section, we will learn how to use a low-cost model of Lidar which is widely used in robotics applications, such as Hokuyo URG-04LX. The Hokuyo Laser Range Finder is similar in function to the Sick Laser Range Finder, which has been the de-facto standard range sensor for mobile robot obstacle avoidance and mapping applications for the last decade. The Sick Laser Range Finder is of relatively large size, weight, and power consumption, which means you can only use it on relatively large mobile robots. On the other hand, the Hokuyo Laser Range Finder is...