The OPAL™ Marine LiDAR is a long range 3D laser scanner which provides precise and accurate real-time position information of moving and stationary objects, infrastructure, and coastline. The OPAL™ features unparalleled resolution and accuracy which is extremely important for autonomous vessel perception systems, on-board automation, and improved awareness for maritime and port applications.
OPAL™ LiDAR sensors play an important role in enabling maritime autonomy. LiDAR provides a number of unique and important capabilities that autonomous ships will require while navigating and docking.
The OPAL™ LiDAR’s long range capabilities provide advanced situational awareness information to ships 24/7 day or night in all types of weather, and include advanced functionalities to assist with collision avoidance. This includes the ability to discern individual ships when clustered together, and distinguish ship size, including detecting very small ships. Real-time measurements mean distance can be accurately measured to obstacles or infrastructure on surrounding land or water, and minimal returns off water (less clutter) ensure accurate data no matter the conditions.
The OPAL™ LiDAR is ideal for sensor fusion with typical maritime radar and camera systems including AIS, electronic charts, RADAR, infrared and visible spectrum cameras. It shows reduced clutter in comparison to RADAR and the ability to map environments with precision make it a valuable addition to autonomous solutions. The OPAL™ LiDAR has also been proven to outperform IR cameras for objects at ambient / water temperature, such as low docks.
In addition LiDAR data can be easily integrated with traditional electronic navigation such as LiDAR-ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System), and LiDAR-ECS (Electronic Chart System).