Intel releases the smallest lidar, is it also trying to grab a piece of the automotive market?

Intel recently officially released a special product "RealSense L515", which is known as the world's smallest and most energy-efficient high-resolution Lidar camera.

RealSense L515 is only 61 mm in diameter, 26 mm thick and weighs only 100 grams. It is extremely small and can be integrated into smart hardware or installed on handheld devices for mobile use.

It has a 1920×1080p/30fps RGB sensor, a 1024×768/30fps ToF depth sensor, and a Bosch BMI085 inertial measurement unit (accelerometer + gyroscope). It has a working range of 0.25-9 meters and can capture more than 23 million depth point information per second. The RGB field of view range is 70±3°×43±2°, and the depth field of view range is 70±2°×55±2°. It is calibrated before leaving the factory and does not need to be recalibrated during daily use.

In addition, the photon-to-depth latency is only 4 milliseconds, providing extremely fast response times for autonomous applications, while the visual processor minimizes motion blur and afterimages to quickly and accurately capture high-speed scenes.

Despite such powerful specifications, the power consumption is less than 3.5W, and it is equipped with Intel's self-developed  MEMS  micro-vibration mirror system, which allows the laser to scan at a lower power.

In terms of development, it supports RealSense SDK 2.0, which has obtained open source license. The system platform supports Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS, and the development environment supports Unity, Unreal, Python, etc.

As for its uses, logistics and warehouse management, 3D scanning, healthcare, retail, robotics, etc. can all be used.

Intel says that once the RealSense L515 is calibrated during manufacturing, it does not need to be recalibrated later.

Finally, the L515 supports the same RealSense SDK 2.0, which has been licensed as open source and is compatible with Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS platforms, as well as development environments such as Unity, Unreal, Unreal, Python, etc.

In summary, Intel RealSense L515 should be the smallest high-resolution LiDAR currently available, with very low power consumption and a price of only $349. Currently, Intel RealSense L515 has begun accepting pre-orders and is expected to be shipped in late April next year.

Intel expects this product to play an important role in the logistics industry, such as tracking inventory with the help of RealSense L515 and performing accurate volume measurement of products. Other applications include 3D scanning, retail, healthcare and robotics.

The Intel RealSense L515 LiDAR is priced at only US$349, equivalent to less than RMB 2,500. Pre-sales have begun and shipments will begin in late April next year.