An analysis shows that the US government spends 50% more money on the maintenance of the current infrastructure than on new infrastructure construction. This shows how expensive it is to keep the American infrastructure in a safe state without even improving it. To reduce the costs involved in this process, Lux Modus, a Canadian company, developed a platform that uses an Ouster Lidar sensor that creates a "digital twin" of the real world. This "digital twin" is created completely automatically with the collected data by their own application called Lux Cloud. The final model gets processed within minutes, so there is no need for time-intensive manual processing.
The collection of the data itself is also convenient, as the platform can be attached to a moving object like a car that is moving at speeds up to 60mph. Ouster's sensor enables the platform to be operated in extreme conditions with temperatures ranging from -35°C to +45°C.
However, the key factor for choosing Ouster Lidar units is not only based on their durability and reliability. To clarify this point, Joseph Hlady, the president of Lux Modus, explained that the ability of the Ouster sensors to detect near-infrared data is of great value. Whereas other sensors only detect the signal emitted from the sensor itself, Ouster sensors also detect photons emitted by sunlight that are then reflected by objects. Essentially, combining a digital camera with a lidar sensor. With this extra layer of data, more information can be gathered from the point cloud. For instance, road signs or paintings on asphalt can be read and textures on bricks identified. This truly unique function makes Ouster Lidar sensors more valuable for Lux Modus than any other sensor on the market right now.
"In designing our technology, we chose Ouster for several reasons. The two main reasons were Ouster’s industry-leading reliability and their ability to provide additional data layers, such as near-IR and calibrated reflectivity. In infrastructure management and construction surveying, these extra parameters from each pixel allow us to provide additional information about road signs, materials, dampness, and reflectivity. Combining this with our RGB values, we have opened the door to countless feature extraction capabilities. Delivering a robust, digital twin with far more detail than current methods." - Joseph Hlady, Lux Modus president
To learn more, read the official Ouster blog: https://ouster.com/blog/lux-modus-digital-twins-in-the-harshest-conditions/
