Written by Raffi Jabrayan, Exyn Technologies
With many construction projects, success or failure can often be determined during the planning stage. Foreseeing all possible roadblocks and creating contingencies before construction begins is the key to keeping a project on budget and finishing on time.
Accurate 3D mobile mapping offers a solution to this dilemma and it’s a cost-effective option that developers and planners can add to their toolkit. Unlike other technologies that require extensive training or new computer infrastructure, 3D mapping systems like Nexys fit seamlessly into existing workflows with minimal training and software reconfigurations.
Basics of mobile 3D mapping
Mobile laser scanning allows for fast 3D surveying of indoor or outdoor spaces without the need of a prior map or existing wireless infrastructure. These 3D digital twins can then be brought into your CAD, BIM, or other existing digital workflows for highly accurate planning, forecasting, and modeling.
The Nexys payload works both as a handheld mobile unit and when connected to an aerial or land-based drone empower it to autonomously explore unknown environments. Nexys controls the drone autonomously using ExynAI – Exyn’s proprietary LiDAR-based (Light Detection And Ranging) SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. This modularity gives you the option to survey an area in the fastest, safest, and most affordable way possible based on the project.
Integrating Nexys with your current digital workflow
The most useful technologies are those that can fit seamlessly into existing workflows to increase their usefulness. That’s why smartphones were an immediate success after their introduction. Flip phones were integrating with the internet, coming equipped with newer cameras and features, the smartphone took it to the next level by making it intuitive and way more useful.
Nexys was designed to ensure it could interface with downstream software for construction and infrastructure projects, meaning all data captured can integrate with existing tools survey teams are already using. Just like your smartphone, the Nexys is portable, powerful, and works nearly everywhere. But unlike your phone, it doesn’t need a signal to operate.
Integration with GPS, satellite, and other geospatial data
Successful project planning for something as large and complex as an industrial warehouse or multi-level construction requires a highly accurate digital twin of the area where work is going to begin. If your entire project team can’t access real-time data about the site it could bottleneck in your planning and working efficiency.
Digital twins captured by Nexys can be aligned with existing GNSS datasets or other geospatial data streams during post-processing. Project managers can remain confident that the 3D model of the area is accurate and feature rich. And all of this post-processing can be done in the field through the provided ruggedized tablet that ships with every Nexys, ensuring that the team is bringing back complete datasets after a day of field surveying.
Capture data whenever / wherever it’s needed
The speed and flexibility of a mobile SLAM platform can increase the effectiveness of your survey team, ensuring that all data captured is complete and accurate for project planners to process and evaluate. Plus, shorter capture times means scans can be performed more regularly for greater transparency throughout the entire duration of a project.
If the project area changes or the client specifications change during the initial stages, you can quickly deploy the Nexys to capture new data. This allows you to adjust your bid or your project forecasts as conditions change. With traditional surveying, this would require extensive lead time and additional man-hours to deploy a team to re-survey the area.
With Nexys, a single operator can safely conduct the new 3D scan and gather all of the information needed and post-process the data directly on site – a swiss army knife of digital mapping and surveying making your team cost-effective with the ability to adapt to any contingency the project throws at you.
Nexys works where you need it
Autonomous robotics come in handy, the Nexys system works where other solutions simply fail from lack of signal.
Exyn & Trimble: Proof of Concept Fully Autonomous Survey Solution
GPS-denied areas, mines, caves, or hazardous areas can all be navigated by the Nexys’ LiDAR-based SLAM autonomy. The operator simply has to plan a mission on the provided ruggedized tablet and press go, Nexys will take control of all mission planning until the map is complete or the intelligent return-to-home detects a low battery. If GPS is available (flying outdoors, for example), the Nexys will automatically detect the signal and integrate it into its online SLAM for better real-time positioning and offline map alignment.
Book your personalized Nexys demo today
We get that autonomous robotics can sound like science fiction, but after thousands of autonomous flights in the field we’re confident Nexys can capture accurate 3D models of almost anywhere. If you want to see how Nexys can transform your surveying operations, book a personalized demo today and experience Level 4B autonomy for yourself.
About Raffi Jabrayan
Raffi Jabrayan is the Vice President, Commercial Sales and Business Development for Exyn Technologies. He oversees the expansion of the business internationally in the mining and construction sectors, as well as penetration into other industries.
A large part of his role at Exyn is to help miners leverage the data produced by Exyn’s autonomous aerial robots to streamline underground inspections, enhance operational efficiency and reduce risk. Prior to joining Exyn, Raffi managed digital and technology innovation projects for Dundee Precious Metals and was intimately involved with operationalizing new technologies into Dundee’s workflow. Raffi oversaw the scouting, due diligence, implementation and post integration assessment of Dundee’s digital and technology projects.
Raffi is a seasoned mining professional with practical experience at both the plant and corporate level in various capacities and has completed the Digital Business Strategy Program at MIT Sloan as well as Driving Strategic Impact from Columbia Business School.
About Exyn Technologies
Exyn Technologies is pioneering multi-platform robotic autonomy for complex, GPS-denied environments. For the first time, industries like mining, logistics, and construction can benefit from a single, integrated solution to capture critical and time-sensitive data in a safer, more affordable, and more efficient way.
Exyn is powered by a team of experts in autonomous systems, robotics, and industrial engineering, and has drawn talent from Penn’s world-renowned GRASP Laboratory as well as other storied research institutions. The company is VC-backed and privately held, with headquarters in Philadelphia.
For more information, please visit www.exyn.com, you can also contact us on our website.
