Machines and LiDAR

We've become so used to thinking about the ways in which machines are like us, that we forget how they're different. We admire the things they're able to do with efficiency far greater than ours. They process information more quickly than we do. Their actions are rooted in logic and optimal outcomes, rather than messy emotions. They're precise in a way we couldn't hope to be.

There is, however, one ability where humans beat out machines: we can see. It sounds incredibly simple, but if machines had an Achilles Heel, it would be the fact that our 3D vision is vastly superior to the lines of code which is their vehicle for making sense of the world.

Think of it this way: you know that feeling when you wake up at 3am, desperate for a glass of water? You use your hands to feel your way around walls that are completely familiar in daylight, but which all seem to have shifted a bit now that it's dark. And - oh no - who on earth would have left their shoes lying where you could trip over them and fall? It takes a second, a stumble and down you go.

Machines are similar. We've been so excited by all they potentially offer, only to see that bashed, as soon as they crash, and crashing, as we've seen is pretty much inevitable.

So, what's the solution? Fit all drones with cameras? That may certainly improve a machine's 'vision', but it also poses problems for companies in terms of protecting privacy. What about lasers? Too expensive, and too heavy. LiDAR? The Goldilocks 'just right' of machine perception, these lightweight, affordable scanners change everything by making it possible for machines to detect obstacles and identify distances. In essence, LiDAR is the 'eye' that machines have been missing, creating an picture that is as clear as anything you or I see.

The outcome? That future we've all been dreaming about - the one where machines take care of the gritty details, leaving us with more time - is well within sight. With less crashing comes greater efficiency, as well as less expenses for companies and facing fewer repairs.

LiDAR is the difference between a machine simply holding data, and having the cognition and perception to use that data to best effect. The difference between navigating blinding, and hitting the target every time.