Ouster OS0

The Ouster OS0 is a spinning short-range LiDAR from the USA with an ultra-wide vertical field of view of 90°. It is meant for mid-sized multicopters working in robotics and short-distance mapping, for example indoors and in tight spaces.

The manufacturer quotes 35 m range at 10 % reflectivity and at most 250 m. The point rate is up to 10.4 million per second. The vertical field of view of 90° captures floor and ceiling at once, and the rotation covers the full circle horizontally. The ranges in many LiDAR specifications refer to highly reflective targets; on dark surfaces the reachable distance is clearly smaller, as the difference between 35 m and 250 m shows.

The scanner is a laser device, and the laser class given by the manufacturer is to be observed. The weight counts towards the take-off mass of the aircraft, whose EU class limits are 4 kg (C2) and 25 kg (C3 and C4). Images of people and property fall under data-protection law, and the operator must be registered.

The series trades range for field of view: the OS0 sees far up and down, the OS2 far ahead. For mapping from flying height, a narrow field of view with long range is better; for interiors, tunnels and forest, the opening angle counts. For georeferenced data, an external IMU and a GNSS are needed. The rotation motor with its bearings is the wear part; the window must stay clean and the mount low-vibration.