We are thrilled to introduce the latest sensor from Ouster, the OSDome. The OSDome is built with the same digital architecture as the rest of the REV7 sensors, but with an all-new field of view. With a new form factor and a circular dome-shaped window, we were able to design a sensor with 180 degrees of coverage across the top and 360 degrees horizontally – resulting in a hemispherical field of view of its surroundings. 

Powered by the L3 chip, the OSDome is the most performant hemispherical lidar available today, delivering incredible point cloud detail across its entire field of view. With this feature set, the OSDome is ideal for upgrading security and crowd analytics systems with privacy-conscious people tracking or equipping warehouse robots with more robust situational awareness. 

The benefits of the OSDome

Reduce blind spots

Whether you’re installing a lidar sensor on a moving robot or in a fixed location, deciding how and where to mount the sensor is no easy task. In most cases, a compromise has to be made between short and long-range detection. As one example, most forklift installations today angle a sensor downward to cover the area directly in front of a forklift, while sacrificing a measure of long-range detection. Or the opposite compromise is made – mounting a sensor parallel to the ground, allowing for long-range detection, but potentially missing anything that is below the sensor and near the vehicle. Both mounting scenarios create blind spots in sensor coverage. These blind spots typically require an additional sensor to be installed, or in some cases, limitations may have to be set on speed and performance of the system to maintain safe operation.

The same issue applies to indoor security or crowd monitoring. Angling a sensor to cover certain areas can create blind spots in others. This creates the need for multiple sensors or areas that cannot be tracked or monitored.

The OSDome was designed to eliminate this compromise. The hemispheric field of view provides full floor-to-ceiling coverage of the area, eliminating any blind spots caused by angled mounting or sensor limitations. This will help customers save costs on hardware and reduce system complexity and installation time, all while improving overall performance with high-resolution coverage. The image below shows an OSDome mounted on the ceiling of a busy cafeteria setting. It’s easy to picture how just a few OSDome sensors could cover an entire high-value retail store or the floor of a data center with minimal occlusion from features in the environment. 

With the OSDome, we are also bringing a significant upgrade to warehouse robotics by providing floor-to-ceiling coverage in tight aisles. The image below illustrates the field of view with an OSDome mounted on the side of a forklift, as it traverses narrow aisles within a warehouse. Even within a meter of the racking, the sensor is able to detect objects on the ground all the way to the rafters above. With a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of its surroundings, an automated forklift minimizes the risk of costly accidents while operating at higher speeds, and can lead to greater productivity and profitability. 

Discreet Design

In many applications, the design of the sensor is extremely important – and not just for aesthetics. The OSDome form factor is ideal for security and retail installations. The small package, no larger than an average size security camera, coupled with the hemispheric field-of-view, allows for discrete installation in applications where the sensor needs to blend in with its environment. 

Privacy-preserving people tracking

Unlike cameras, lidar sensors provide essential intelligence out of spatial data without capturing camera images of pedestrian faces. The OSDome gathers high-resolution data of the environment while mitigating personal privacy concerns. This can be extremely valuable in applications such as crowd analytics. Collecting insights from the crowd for optimizing operations, maintaining safety, and reducing costs, all without violating personal privacy.  

Powered by the L3 Chip

As part of the REV7 sensor family, the OSDome benefits from the same L3 chip performance upgrades in range, precision, and reliability as the rest of our sensors. L3 equips the OSDome with industry-leading reliability, precision, and best-in-class resolution. With 128 channels and 20 meters of range (on a 10% reflective target), the OSDome has 4x the resolution of other sensors in its class, outputting superior detail per square foot of monitored space. In addition to high-quality data, the OSDome uses the same components as the rest of our sensors, allowing us to ramp up volumes with our existing manufacturing line. 

OSDome harnesses the power of L3 to unlock greater possibilities. And this is just the beginning for the OSDome. The sensor will continue to benefit from Moore’s law in both performance and cost improvements. We’re very excited to see how our customers will deploy the OSDome to power the next generation of smart infrastructure and industrial projects. 

If you’re interested to learn more about the OSDome, please contact us at sales@ouster.io