LIDAR SENSOR FOR LANDING – January 23, 2020
The first photo gives the view from outside the bumper. You can see the downward facing lenses of the Lidar – which is a laser sensor that measures and audibly calls out incremental distances to the runway during landings. (For example: “50 ft, 40 ft, 30 ft, … 5 ft, 4 ft, 3 ft, 2 ft, 1 ft.”) This is installed on the lower section of the Switchblade rear bumper, pointing down towards the ground. The second photo below shows where the Lidar is mounted, inside the carbon fiber bumper.
We have installed this as an aid to our Test Pilot and will evaluate how effective it is as we move forward into the production models.
