At AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2014 in Orlando, Velodyne demonstrated its pioneering LiDAR technology.
Velodyne displayed its flagship HDL products -- the classic HDL-64E and the lightweight and compact HDL-32E. The HDL-32E is the sensor of choice for LIDAR measurements with UAVs, thanks to its light weight (1kg/2.2lbs) and the vast amount of data it can capture (~700,000 data points per second). Its 32-beam approach minimizes shadows as the same points are being measured from different angles. The multiple beam approach means that even when the UAV is shaking back and forth, at least one of the 32 beams hits the desired target. By contrast, with a one-beam approach, any oscillation of the UAV could leave gaps in the scan pattern.
