Quadruped Robots Enter Hazardous Environments
In the power inspection field, manual inspection faces numerous challenges: high temperatures, high-altitude work, confined spaces, radiation hazards. These environments are not only dangerous to personnel but also difficult to ensure consistent inspection quality.
This year, with the promotion of "Robot+" applications, quadruped robots are beginning to play important roles in power systems. Yun Chu's Jieying X30 quadruped robot uses four LiDAR sensors to achieve autonomous inspection in various scenarios.
Four radar sensors working together give quadruped robots "sharp eyes" for navigation.
4-Radar Fusion Solving Complex Environment Navigation
In places like substations, industrial production lines, and chemical plants, there are often stairs to navigate between different levels. Moreover, many scenarios have stairs with slopes exceeding 40 degrees, which poses extremely high requirements for robot navigation capabilities.
The addition of M360 LiDAR enhances the environmental perception capabilities of quadruped robots. This radar features 360° horizontal field of view, 70° vertical field of view, and outputs 200,000 points per second. The larger field of view and higher point cloud density help robots perceive complex 3D environments better, providing more comprehensive data for planning and decision-making.
With four radar fusion configuration, blind spots are minimized, helping robots avoid dynamic and static obstacles successfully, completing 45° stair climbing tasks without tripping or falling.
Unfazed by Complex Environments, All-Weather Operation
Power inspection often needs to be conducted under various harsh conditions, regardless of day or night, with varying and uncontrollable lighting conditions.
M360 LiDAR is unaffected by light conditions, even in complex environments, it can still acquire sufficient point cloud information to assist robot navigation, obstacle avoidance, and even object recognition. This environmental adaptability enables quadruped robots to operate 24/7, greatly improving inspection efficiency and quality.
Small Size, Big Power, More Flexible Installation
In robot design, the miniaturization and lightweighting of sensors have always been important considerations. M360 LiDAR maintains a compact size while delivering powerful performance, with dimensions of 78×78×81mm and weight of 408g, allowing flexible installation on various robots.
Its 5cm near-field blind area, combined with its small size, enables zero-blind-spot coverage. Even in space-constrained environments, M360 can provide reliable perception, ensuring stable robot navigation.
Practical Application Proven Effective
Quadruped robots equipped with M360 LiDAR have already demonstrated significant value in the power sector.
In power inspection scenarios, robots can utilize high-precision autonomous navigation to collect equipment information and upload inspection data in real-time. This not only improves inspection efficiency but also ensures personnel safety.
In emergency rescue scenarios, robots can easily overcome obstacles, moving freely in complex environments like ruins and rubble, providing crucial support for rescue operations.
In industrial production, robots can traverse complex industrial structures, reducing personnel exposure to potentially hazardous environments, ensuring production safety.
Technical Parameter Advantages
Compared to other 3D LiDAR sensors, M360 has clear advantages in several key parameters:
- Only 5cm blind area: half that of other similar products, can detect small obstacles close to the chassis
- Power consumption below 4.5W: about 30% less than similar products, extending robot operating time
- Dual-echo mode: can penetrate raindrops and glass, maintaining reliable operation in bad weather
- 70° vertical field of view: 11° more than other products, providing richer environmental details
- IP67 protection rating: completely dust-proof and temporarily waterproof, suitable for various industrial environments
- 12-32V wide voltage supply: compatible with more power supply solutions, better system compatibility
Future Development Prospects
As robot technology continues to advance, 3D LiDAR as a core sensing component will become increasingly important. With its technological innovation and practical application experience, M360 will play a role in more fields, promoting the popularization and development of robot technology.
In the construction of smart manufacturing and smart cities, M360 LiDAR will provide powerful perception capabilities for various mobile robots, enabling robots to better serve human production and life.
*This article is based on practical application experience of M360 LiDAR, written for reference by relevant technical personnel and decision makers.*