Compact laser rangefinder for space applications

The 3D shape measurement and recognition of surroundings are expected for advanced space robot missions, such as on-orbit inspections, autonomous navigation of robots, and so on. We have been studying small size scanning laser range finders for space applications for years, and have just developed a new compact model for small on-orbit robots and small rovers. In this paper, its design and test results are described, comparing them with our previous model, which have been used for research test of autonomous rover navigation these years.