Asked
— Edited
@DJ, Thanks for publishing the EZ-LIDAR SLAM Plugin.
I have an xv-11 Lidar and the interface supplied is a micro USB
Please post some details on how you connected yours.
I see from the plugin that you use a UART port, but I don't see any details on how it's connected to the LIDAR
Regards, Frank
Does not work in the air
are you worried with collisions, too many UFOs or what ?
:P
Any updates?
I'll jump in on this one. One of the main suppliers we were working with become quite greedy. The quote received when deciding to prototype with this component would have allowed the Lidar unit to retail around $119. Once we were confident with the product we went to negotiate a VPA (volume purchase agreement) and the price came back nearly 300% higher than initially quoted. This price change would cause the Lidar retail price to be closer to the $250 range.
We are currently exploring alternative suppliers that will have more stable pricing models.
Wow thats amazing they could pull one on you like that. Hopefully you find a better supplier. I was looking forward to this one.
@alan, I was really surprised at your original estimate for the complete package as I think that lidar unit itself was about $100 retail quantity one
The new price you are thinking of would be OK with me, if it included SLAM software ready to run on EZB
Regards, Frank
Like @Frank, I would probably also be willing to pay the higher price if the solution was complete (ie, I could map out a space, then autonomously navigate it with avoidance of new objects added to the space, much like a Neato vacuum can do, although obviously without the need to try to cover every inch of the space, unless that was needed for initial mapping).
However, I certainly understand that price point means that you probably would not sell enough to get the volume you need for that price, so then the component price would probably go up even more.
However, I think if you try and target $150-$175 rather than $119, you will sell plenty of these. Although some of us are scraping and saving for each little bit of robotic gear, it seems to me that many are willing to spend significant amounts on their robots as long as the stuff works.
Alan
I would also pay the higher price just as the @thetechguru said.
So in the mean time, are there any other LIDAR's that work with your plugin?
Which LIDAR would people recommend in the mean time?