Emesent Hovermap: GPS-Free 3D LiDAR Mapping, Drone Autonomy & SLAM Technology Explained

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:03]So, this one here, the And obviously people can see it on camera.

[00:00:07]>> That's the Hover Map? The Hover Map, okay.

[00:00:09]>> Yeah. So, this is a lidar mapping and autonomy device. Um so, what do we have out front here is the the lidar puck.

[00:00:16]Inside here, um this part is off-the-shelf, so we don't manufacture this. These are typically used on autonomous cars. So, that's we've kind of repurposed it.

[00:00:22]>> Usually that'd be sitting on a on a car like this, scanning out in front of the car looking for obstacles, et cetera.

[00:00:27]Right. So, we take that and we actually rotate it, so we get a full 360° field of view um Mhm. scan plane. Okay. And we process that data on board Hover Map in real time to figure out where the obstacles are for if this is on a mounted on a drone, so it can it can navigate between the obstacles. And we run the algorithm, which is called SLAM, to use the data to figure out how this is moving through space relative to what it sees. So, that means it doesn't need GPS. So, yeah. Hover Map is the provides mapping and autonomy.

[00:00:57]Um it's modular, so you can it's quick quick release, click it onto the drone, connect it to the drone's flight controller, and then it automates the drone flight. Or if you want to then go map an area that a drone can't access, um you just click it off the drone, attach a handle, Oh, okay.

[00:01:11]>> walk around with it, or put it on the the backpack. Um we've got a vehicle mount, so >> Which I think they Yeah, I think we can see that in the shots, too, cuz obviously it's showing the That's the Hover Map. So, it's exactly the same device. It's just been clicked off the handle onto the backpack, or clicked onto the drone. That's so cool. onto the vehicle mount.

[00:01:26]>> of this this is It's about 3 lb. Crazy.

[00:01:29]Yeah, so it's it's for drone flight, it's got to be lightweight. Um Right.

[00:01:32]So, that's kind of yeah, that's Hover Map, and it's it's a modular system. If if you need color information with the lidar data, you attach uh 360° camera, Oh, okay. and it projects the color onto the lidar, and 360° >> need the color? What why would that happen?

[00:01:45]>> It just gives more context. I mean, lidar by itself doesn't give you true color. Um you can you can see contrast in the in the lidar image based on the uh signal strength or the intensity data.

[00:01:56]So, you can see like, you know, line markings on the street or or this this writing you would see, but you won't see it in the actual color. Okay. So, if you want to make it more kind of, I guess, photorealistic, you use the the color information. And then we can also export the the 360 images and align them to the scan data.

[00:02:13]And then you have like a Google Street View interface wherever you've been with us. So, you can very quickly generate kind of Google Street View indoors from from a device like this.