Benewake has introduced the NOVA20, a solid-state linear LiDAR meant to cover the close-range blind spot around embodied AI and mobile robots. It detects objects from 5 centimeters to 1 meter away.
The NOVA20 uses 20 detection channels spread across a 40° fan-shaped field of view. It works at a 10 Hz frame rate with centimeter-level precision, and it is designed to complement 360° rotating LiDARs that handle long-range scanning but leave a gap right next to the robot.
The sensor has no moving parts. It measures 25 × 22 × 13 mm, about the size of a beer bottle cap, weighs under 5 grams and draws less than 1 watt on average. Benewake says it keeps working in ambient light of up to 100 Klux, roughly direct midday sun, which allows use both indoors and outdoors. To limit crosstalk between channels, it reads out the channels one after another using time-division multiplexing.
The NOVA20 does not produce images. It sends distance data directly to a robot’s low-level control system, which can use it to slow down, detour or stop without relying on high-level models. Benewake points to three uses: following walls at close range, preventing falls at stairs or drop-offs, and avoiding collisions.
Because of its small size, the sensor can be mounted where blind spots exist, such as a humanoid’s chest, wrists and ankles, a quadruped’s jaw and feet, or the corners of a mobile chassis. It connects through a UART interface and supports ROS, Linux and Windows. Benewake notes that mounting positions and performance should be checked against each robot’s structure and environment.
Source: DIY Drones
