Surveyors should all have experienced this kind of pain: carrying a tape measure up and down to measure dimensions, only to find a corner missed after measuring, and then having to go back to measure it again. After a day, you're sore and tired, and the data often doesn't match.
I recently came across a handheld 3D laser scanner that uses the domestic M360 3D LiDAR. After seeing several projects in the field, I think it's necessary to discuss what this thing can actually do.
Let's talk about how to use this thing first
This scanner integrates the M360 LiDAR, visible light camera, and RTK module all together, and it's about the size of a large portable charger when held in hand.
The angle of the M360 is quite interesting; it's neither horizontal nor vertical, but inclined downward by about 20°. At first, I thought this design was a bit strange, but after using it, I realized that this angle just covers the ground, the front, and the ceiling. After one round, data from all three directions are collected, and there's no need to stop and adjust the angle repeatedly. The actual test shows that the efficiency is indeed much higher.
In terms of weight, the M360 itself weighs 408g, while traditional mechanical multi-line LiDARs generally weigh close to 1 kilogram, making the overall weight difference between the two quite significant. Another advantage of the M360 is that it comes with built-in IP67 protection and IMU, eliminating the need for additional protective cases and inertial modules. After integration, the overall weight of the unit is actually more controllable.
There are several key points in the parameters
The M360 uses a non-repetitive scanning scheme, where each scan covers a different vertical angle. Over time, the entire 70° vertical field of view is gradually filled. This brings a benefit: the longer you stand, the denser the point cloud becomes. In the same location for 3 seconds, the point cloud density is sufficient to see the outline of the target object.
The point cloud output frequency is 200kHz, with a ranging range of 0.05m to 50m (90% reflectivity), and the near blind zone is only 5 centimeters. This 5 centimeter blind zone is not particularly critical in handheld surveying, but it is very useful in robot navigation scenarios—more on that later.
There's another very practical feature: the M360 is equipped with a 6-axis IMU and supports PTP v2 time synchronization. For the scanner, the point cloud data and timestamps can be accurately matched, making the data more reliable for later pose calculation. There's no need for an external IMU module, which saves an integration step.
The IP67 rating is quite important in outdoor surveying. In environments like rainy days, seaside, and dusty construction sites, using radars without any IP rating used to make me feel uneasy. The M360's IP67 rating at least ensures you don't have to worry about dust and water intrusion.
I actually saw three projects
The first one is the renovation of an old street in a certain city.
This city is planning urban renewal, but the drawings of the old city area are too different from the current situation. Buildings have been altered, roads have been widened, and many new facilities have been added, making the original construction drawings completely mismatched.
The previous method was to send three people to the site with a tape measure and total station, taking 7 days to measure and then spending another 7 days on modeling. Moreover, it's easy to miss things during measurement, and if something is missed, you have to go back again.
With this handheld scanner, one person collected data for a day, and another person completed the modeling in just one day. The accuracy can reach centimeter-level, and the architectural facade, steps, pipeline locations, and other aspects can be reconstructed. The efficiency improvement is not a little.
From a technical perspective, the M360's 360°×70° field of view plays a significant role here. The narrow streets, tall buildings, and large terrain undulations in the old city area pose challenges. The 70° vertical field of view covers an additional 11° above the traditional 59° radar, enabling the reception of data from both the building roofs and the ground.
The second one is an offshore transmission tower platform near the Nansha Bridge.
This platform was built in 1979 and is nearly 50 years old. The original drawings were hand-drawn. Long-term sea erosion and rain wash have caused the actual structure to differ significantly from the drawings. Now, to dismantle and rebuild, it is necessary to obtain an accurate existing structure model.
Setting up total stations and prisms in places like offshore platforms is very troublesome. There's a strong sea breeze, the platform shakes, and the operating space is narrow. Not only is the cost of manual measurement high, but the accuracy is also difficult to guarantee.
By walking around with the scanner several times, the point cloud model of the entire platform was created. The coordinates of the fixed pile center were directly extracted from the point cloud, and the accuracy fully meets the requirements for tower crane installation. According to the project team's feedback, the cost was reduced by about 80%, and the time was shortened by more than half.
This environment is where the M360's IP67 protection comes into play. Offshore platforms have heavy salt spray and high humidity, and equipment without IP67 protection is prone to internal issues over time.
The third one is particularly interesting, in the field of cultural heritage protection.
The 3D model reconstruction of theJiulong Wall (Nine Dragon Wall). This task is quite challenging – not only does it need to restore the appearance of the building, but even the details like the scales of the dragon need to be clear. Traditional methods can't achieve this.
The scanner merges the M360 point cloud data with the camera's visible light data in real-time, generating true-color point clouds. After importing the modeling software, the dragon scale texture and the carved relief are fully preserved. The model accuracy is very high, researchers can view it from any angle, and it can also be archived digitally.
It's said that it was used for game scene development, saving a lot of modeling work.
Let's be honest.
As a domestically produced 3D LiDAR, the M360 indeed boasts several impressive parameters: a 70° vertical field of view (11° more than the MID-360), a 5cm near blind zone, IP67 rating, built-in IMU, and power consumption of less than 4.5W. In the handheld surveying scenario, the lightweight and compact design brings a significant improvement in actual experience.
Of course, if you need ultra-long-distance detection (such as over 70 meters), the 50-meter range of the M360 is indeed not as good as the MID-360. However, for medium and short-range applications such as surveying, modeling, and reverse engineering, 50 meters is more than enough.
In terms of price, the M360 also offers good value for money. For manufacturers of handheld scanners who previously used imported radars, switching to the M360 can significantly reduce the overall cost. For end-users, it also means that they can use 3D scanning technology for less money.
Currently, the demand for 3D scanning technology in fields such as old city renovation, engineering inspection, cultural heritage protection, and digital twin is increasing. With the emergence of cost-effective domestic radars like the M360, this technology has shifted from "only affordable for large projects" to "considerable for small and medium-sized projects as well." I think this trend is quite good.
Data source: M360 product manual (Tandu Zhixing) and on-site project feedback. Actual performance is based on the latest official specifications.