Cruise Announces the Continuous Learning Machine

Posted on September 18, 2020 by lidar
image of Cruise Will Use Continuous Learning Machine

Cruise Will Use Continuous Learning Machine

Driverless startup Cruise today detailed a homegrown tool — the Continuous Learning Machine — that tackles on-the-road prediction tasks. Cruise claims the Continuous Learning Machine, which automatically labels and mines training data, allows some of the AI models guiding Cruise’s self-driving cars to predict things like whether bicycles will swerve into traffic or kids will run into streets.

From an article in Venture Beat by Kyle Wiggers.

One of the challenges of autonomous vehicles is predicting intent. People don’t always follow the rules of the road, and even when they do, they’re liable to bend those rules. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 94% of serious crashes are due to drivers’ errors or dangerous choices. Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, AI, artifical perception, artificial intelligence, Autonomous vehicles, Business Development, Consumer, Data, driverless vehicles, Lidar, point clouds, Research, Technology, The Industry, Visualization, Young Geospatial Professional | Leave a comment

3D Laser Scanning – The 5 Most Asked Questions

Posted on September 17, 2020 by lidar
image of Ryan Hacker, Founder of Truepoint Laser Scanning Explains 3D Laser Scanning

Ryan Hacker, Founder of TruePoint Laser Scanning Explains 3D Laser Scanning

This guest post comes from Ryan Hacker, the founder of TruePoint Laser Scanning as he explains some of the basics of 3D laser scanning.

Data collection was once a slow, labor-intensive operation with multiple technicians collecting field data using manual tape measuring and pencil-to-paper recording. A friend introduced me to 3D laser scan technology, and I could immediately see the benefit from a time and cost savings perspective. This technology has made rapid advancements in the construction and engineering industry for more than 20 years. Nine years ago, I invested in my first scanner and our team has spoken to thousands of businesses. Below is a list of common questions I am asked:

1. What is 3D Laser Scanning?

3D laser scanning captures as built documentation for existing buildings or sites. Once data is acquired, a point cloud is generated and used to develop 2D drawings or 3D models, expediting the design, planning and development of projects.

Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, Business Development, Construction, Data, Laser Scanning, Mapping, point clouds, Surveying, Surveying Engineering, Technology, The Industry, Young Geospatial Professional | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Waymo Lidar Guru Explains Why He Returned to California

Posted on September 16, 2020 by lidar
image of Waymo Lidar Guru Guides Development

Waymo Lidar Guru Guides Development

When Simon Verghese moved east for a postdoctoral spot at MIT, the UC Berkeley-trained physicist figured on being back in California before too long, but then Waymo started calling.

“I thought it would be two years,” he said in an interview with Business Insider.

Two decades and three children later, Verghese was still at MIT’s prestigious Lincoln Laboratory, working with NASA, the Department of Defense, and the US Navy. Few offers could have lured him away from his work on various sensor systems for aerospace applications. Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, AI, artifical perception, artificial intelligence, Autonomous vehicles, Cloud, computer vision, Consumer, Data, Deep Learning, driverless vehicles, Hardware, Lidar, point clouds, Research, Sensors, Software, solid state lidar | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Venice to Live Forever Thanks to 3D Laser Scanning

Posted on September 15, 2020 by lidar
image of Venice Captured in 3D

Venice Captured in 3D (Photo by Factum Arte)

Look out over the water from the Doge’s Palace in Venice and you see the island of San Giorgio, home to the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, with its archives, rare books, music and high-level international conferences. It has nearly completed a project that is breathtaking in its ambition and implications.

From an article in The Art Newspaper by Anna Somers Cocks.

This summer, Adam Lowe and his team from the Factum Foundation, with ARCHiVE, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Iconem, have made a digital record of all its buildings, inside and out, in such high resolution that San Giorgio now exists in a terabyte of data, a kind of a digital avatar. They have used a LiDAR (light-detection and ranging) scanner, which sends out a pulsed laser light towards the target object and measures the time it takes the laser to return. It calculates the distance the light has travelled, and plots that point in a digital 3D space. Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, art, cultural heritage, Data, Environmental, Historic Preservation, Laser Scanning, Lidar, point clouds, Research, UAS, UAVs, Visualization, Young Geospatial Professional | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rail Infrastructure in Dubai 3D Modeled with Drones

Posted on September 14, 2020 by lidar
photo of Rail Infrastructure Mapped with Drones in Dubai

Rail Infrastructure Mapped with Drones in Dubai

The use of drones in the inspection and evaluation of rail infrastructure is improving and has become part of a rapidly maturing industry. The technology as well as its associated data analysis capabilities have been significantly expanding each year.

From an article in Construction Week Online by Anup Oommen.

In fact, the Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed its intention to start a trial-run of drones to begin inspecting 14km of Dubai Metro tunnels on both the red and the green lines in January 2020. Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, airborne LiDAR, GIS, Government, Infrastructure, Inspection, Laser Scanning, Lidar, Mapping, Mobile LiDAR, Safety, Surveying, UAS, UAVs, Visualization, Young Geospatial Professional | Leave a comment

Sensor Fusion Makes Sense for Autonomous Vehicles

Posted on September 13, 2020 by lidar
Image of Sensor Fusion for Self Driving Vehicles

Sensor Fusion for Self Driving Vehicles

The automotive industry remains divided on the sensor configuration needed to support autonomous driving. Tesla is resolute that cameras and radar systems will be sufficient, yet both systems have their shortcomings. Harman, a Samsung company believes safe automated and autonomous driving can only be achieved by combining LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), radar and cameras in a sensor fusion design.

Just Auto recently interviewed Robert Kempf, Harman’s vice president in ADAS/automated driving, on how it’s overcoming today’s LiDAR issues with recently-launched solid-state LiDAR technology and why the merging of this data in the ECU architecture is key to its success.

Appropriate sensor topology for autonomous driving is a highly debated topic. What is Harman’s current stance? 

There is much discussion and Harman is of the opinion that to support the quality and diversity of information required in automated and autonomous driving, a combination of LiDAR, radar and cameras is the optimum. Each offer advantages and disadvantages, so the successful fusion of the data sets provided by these sensors is imperative for a robust solution. Continue reading →

Posted in AI, artifical perception, artificial intelligence, Autonomous vehicles, Business Development, computer vision, Consumer, driverless vehicles, Laser Scanning, Lidar, point clouds, Radar, Research, Safety, Sensors, Software, solid state, solid state lidar | Leave a comment

Piping Layout Consultants Deliver 3D Paper Mill Project

Posted on September 12, 2020 by lidar

Piping Layout Consultants -PLC details the benefits and best practices of using 3D laser scanning to retrofit a paper mill piping upgrade.

The following is from an article in Building Design and Construction.

Photo of plant scanned by Piping Layout Consultants

Piping Layout Consultants

For a recent U.S. paper mill project, a global supplier of specialty papers and engineered products called upon the experts at Piping Layout Consultants (PLC), a full-service, mechanical design firm based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Since 1985, PLC has provided top-quality design packages and engineered drawings, all without the overhead and high cost associated with larger firms.

Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, Construction, Indoor Mapping, Laser Scanning, Metrology, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mobile Mapping System Tested in Biggest Science Museum

Posted on September 11, 2020 by lidar

VLX Image of Mobile Mapping System

VLX Mobile Mapping System Tested

NavVis went behind the scenes at the Deutsches Museum to field-test the new NavVis VLX, our revolutionary wearable mobile mapping system. Read the inside story from the NavVis blog.

To test the capabilities of NavVis VLX prior to launch, we worked with select partners for their insights and feedback. And some have supported its development in other ways, like granting access to their buildings for scanning.

In the fourth of a series, we’re going behind the scenes at the museum – the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany. Learn how this magnificent complex of buildings made the perfect testing ground for our revolutionary wearable mobile mapping device. Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, art, Cloud, Consumer, Data, Entertainment, Hardware, Historic Preservation, Laser Scanning, Lidar, Mapping, point clouds, Sensors, SLAM, Visualization, Young Geospatial Professional | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Skanska is Using 3D Laser Scanning to Inform and Connect

Posted on September 10, 2020 by lidar

Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction firms has intergrated 3D laser scanning into their core workflows and that of their subcontractors.

Image of site Skanska Uses Scanning, Photography and Videography

Skanska Uses Scanning, Photography and Videography

This is from an article in The Architects Newspaper.

The Swedish multinational construction and development company Skanska is responsible for many of the world’s biggest building projects. Right now in New York City alone, it is overseeing two massive infrastructural and architectural undertakings: The Moynihan Train Hall and the LaGuardia Terminal B redevelopment.

Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, AI, BIM, Business Development, Construction, Data, Hardware, Indoor Mapping, Infrastructure, Inspection, Laser Scanning, Sensors, Software, Surveying, Surveying Engineering, virtual reality, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AEC to BE – Do You Have the Skills to Make the Transition?

Posted on September 9, 2020 by lidar

I suppose the mega-trend that sums up all of what is taking place concerning the transition from AEC to BE is digital transformation, but it sure feels like a lot more. Maybe the idea of Smart Cities sums it up best.

image of AEC to BE

AEC to BE Credit tes.com

Most of us seasoned veterans grew up in the traditional AEC – Architecture, Engineering (civil), and Construction world with clearly defined, albeit often antagonistic roles that date back to at least the Roman Empire. It is very hard to beleive that for more than 2,000  years these AEC roles have essentially been unaffected by the technology around them. From the printing press, to the steam engine, to electricity, the radio, airplanes, rockets, nuclear energy and many inventions that I have left out, the AEC roles have essentially remained the same.

Continue reading →

Posted in 3D Modeling, 3D Printing, AI, artifical perception, artificial intelligence, Augmented reality, Autonomous vehicles, BIM, computer vision, Construction, Digital Transformation, Environmental, Infrastructure, intelligent cities, Internet of Things, machine learning, Mapping, satellites, smart cities, Technology, UAS, UAVs | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment