LightWare has revealed the GRF-250, an ultralight laser rangefinder designed for gimbal integration.

Believing that mid-range laser rangefinders can transform intelligence, surveillance, security, search and rescue operations, LightWare’s development team identified a need for better mid-range laser rangefinders. The first of this series of products is GRF-250. 

LightWare’s CEO, Nadia Nilsen, is excited about the company’s latest product offering. “We value learning from our customers and remaining true to the market. We believe there’s a real need for compact mid-range laser rangefinders that can be easily integrated into gimbal systems, even very compact gimbals, which has driven the development of GRF-250.”

Compact and capable

Designed for seamless integration with EO/IR gimbals, the GRF-250 enhances any sensor payload, adding powerful ranging and depth perception capabilities, while enabling object localization. 

LightWare’s GRF-250 development team understands the value of complementary technologies. “Sensor fusion between a drone’s GPS and rangefinder’s object distance measurements creates invaluable situational awareness and actionable data, whether you’re on a security, wildlife or search and rescue mission,” Nilsen explained. 

Deploying a 905nm laser, the GRF-250 is true to its naming convention, delivering 250m of ranging using time-of-flight laser pulsing. During a live product presentation webinar, LightWare demonstrated the GRF-250 capabilities, where it easily performed at its maximum range on low-reflectivity objects like trees and showed its ability to detect multiple objects in its field of view. This performance aligns with LightWare’s philosophy of under-promising and over-delivering, which has cemented its reputation in the UAV market. 

Excellent sensor performance and 1M eye safety standards make the GRF-250 ideal for low-altitude deployments in challenging environments, ranging in diversity from wildlife management to crowd monitoring. 

The market requires more compact solutions

LightWare is renowned for its compact, high-performance sensors, delivering excellent performance at the lowest possible weight, within a form factor that’s easy to integrate. Building on LightWare’s proven reputation for ultralight sensors, GRF-250 is engineered to deliver all the performance customers need from a laser rangefinder, with the best balance of size, weight, features, and cost.

At only 10.65g the GRF-250 brings laser rangefinding abilities aboard a drone’s gimbal sensor payload, without burdening flight endurance or agility. The compact 32mm x 31mm x 20mm (1.3 in x 1.2 in x 0.8 in) dimensions create ease of integration with EO/IR gimbals and help to make better compact drone builds possible, ideal for those complex search and rescue or security missions in challenging and hazardous spaces. 

For security, wildlife management or search and rescue, many critical drone flights are at low altitudes. Ravines, collapsed structures, and forests are terrain examples where compact drones are preferable because of collision risk. GRF-250 allows EO/IR gimbal specialists and drone customers to choose a solution tailored to their needs, with an ultralight mid-distance laser rangefinder that seamlessly becomes part of the gimbal sensor payload.

Recognizing the demanding weather conditions where security, conservation or rescue teams need to operate drones, the GRF-250’s front face features an IP67 waterproof rating, and LightWare’s build quality ensures product integrity. The GRF-250 is assembled by specialist LightWare technicians, using a process benchmarked to ISO9001 standards. 

Creating effortless sensor fusion for your EO/IR gimbal integration was LightWare’s product development mission with the GRF-250. Available from LightWare’s global distributors and webstore, GRF-250 is the first model in a new family of laser rangefinders by LightWare. 

About LightWare: A pioneer in LIDAR technology, LightWare has four decades of experience creating advanced sensors for demanding and diverse applications. Our microLiDAR® technology and rangefinders create compact, ultralight, high-performance sensors that assist machines in perceiving their surroundings, enabling a new era of autonomy. LightWare creates high-performance, cost-effective sensors, allowing widespread industry adoption and technology transformation.

Source: Press Release