Earlier this month, Intel unveiled a new LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) camera called the Intel RealSense LiDAR Camera L515. Smart device products are shipping at higher volumes than ever all over the world, and the L515 will help high-quality depth cameras “see” and “sense” using LiDAR. LiDAR is generally perceived as a relatively expensive technology that is integral to cutting-edge technology like autonomous vehicle driving systems.

The L515 is a solid-state LiDAR for depth camera intended for integration into industries that benefit from high levels of automation, such as logistics and shipping. Processes in inventory management are becoming increasingly automated, and the L515 may be attractive for such applications due to its depth quality (23 million depth points per second) and low power consumption. Automated and precise volumetric measurement of products helps logisticians keep track of inventory with improved efficiency. Keeping accurate track of inventory is critical to the elasticity of supply chain management as different external elements can affect supply and demand. The more accurate a real-time inventory management system is, the better it can react to changing market conditions.

The L515 has a range of .25m to 9m and a depth resolution of 1024 x 768 at a rate of 30 frames per second. The photon-to-depth latency is minimal and the L515 has motion blur artifact reduction and an internal vision processor. The camera has a long battery life and uses only 3.5 watts of power, meaning it can be mounted on handheld devices without too much concern for swapping batteries.

The L515 differs from other LiDAR systems because of its micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror. This is the key miniaturized component that allows the L515 to scan a scene and reduce the laser pulse power. The L515 includes other sensing technology, including an accelerometer, gyroscope and FHD RGB video camera.