Slamtec RPLIDAR A1 2D 360 Degree 12 Meters scanning Radius lidar Sensor A1M8 Scanner for Robot navigates and avoids Obstacles

Worked out of the box on a focal/foxy ROS2 install with SLAM and basic obstacle avoidance nodes. The provided ros2 nodes from the GitHub repository worked great though I did make a launch file specifically for the a1m8 by modifying their generic A1 file. The only things I needed to change were the scanning radius and baud rate. In short if this is something you are looking at for your smallish indoor slam robot using ROS2 then get it.Another thing I suggest you should do is setup a udev rule for the ttyUSB device.

I was able to set up this RPLIDAR on my robot in ROS2 and see the Lidar scan in RViz. However, after running the robot for a few days, the motor began to show signs of struggle—it could not spin smoothly and sometimes stopped. Now, the motor is dead. I tried replugging the USB cable and gently rotating it manually, but it only resumed for two seconds. I talked to Grok and ChatGPT, and they indicated that the motor likely needs to be replaced.

I recently started using the Slamtec 2D 360° Lidar Sensor, and it’s been a fun and educational addition to my robotics projects. The sensor’s 360-degree scanning capability has a 12-meter radius providing accurate, detailed mapping of the environment and obstacle detection. Setting it up and connecting it to single board computers was straightforward, and it supports several different programming languages.The lidar has a good refresh rate, allowing it to capture data quickly, so my app can map its surroundings. It’s a lightweight, compact unit, which is helpful for smaller robotics applications where space and weight matter. It does require an SBC and programming to work, so it does not do anything until you program it.Keep in mind that all lidar can be sensitive to reflective surfaces, which can sometimes cause minor inaccuracies in the mapping.This device allows you to add "vision" to your project and you learn a lot about the technology. It comes with programming examples and code snippets to add into your project to get started fast.

I though I could use this since it states it is a LIDAR scanner and those are really useful. It is, but it is no complete. If you set it up it scans the area it is in on that one single level that you placed it. You do really need to have it go up and down, move around and go through rooms or around an object, and this does not allow for that unless you build something that can hold it first. If I could do that I would not have needed this!