Constructing 3-Dimentional (3D) Model Using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) on Aerial Informatics and Robotics Simulation (AirSim) for UAV

Abstract

AbstractTopographic surveys are conducted to identify elevation features of the areas in which construction projects are planned to be built. The use of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor array can improve the current method in obtaining topographic models. However, the development of UAV is usually costly, so hardware-in-loop (HIL) or software-in-loop (SIL) approaches are usually adopted first. AirSim is widely used simulation software used in HIL or SIL for UAV development. However, the simulator does not have a compact concept for 3D scanning to create a 3D topographic map. This paper develops the 3D scanning method and validates it in the virtual environment. The scanning method reads data collected from LiDAR sensor and then processes it into point clouds before constructing it into 3D objects. To validate and verify the 3D model, results collected from the avatar UAV in the simulator are compared with the actual objects. Results show that the proposed approach is accurate with less than 5% error in the measurement.KeywordsUnmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)Light detection and ranging (LiDAR)Aerial informatics and robotics simulation (AirSim)3D topographic map3D model