It's been a while since we last presented a laser range finder to the Arduino community. The SF10/C was designed specifically for small UAVs and UGVs where size and weight are the most important requirements.
The SF10/C has taken nine-months to develop and is everything that we hoped it would be. Weighing just 35g and measuring 55x50x30 mm, it has an operating range beyond 25m, even in bright sunlight. The update rate is 32 readings per second so it can be used for fast altitude measurement during the critical, final approach phase of a UAV landing, as a precision AGL sensor for stereo photography or servo driven for obstacle detection and long range SLAM in ground based vehicles.
Arduino compatible interfaces include a serial port (5V and 3.3V tolerant), I2C and analog outputs. We even use an Arduino on the production line for automatic testing! In addition, there's a micro-USB port to put in settings such as the I2C bus address and this same port provides power to the unit so that you can easily test the performance by running it from a PC or laptop without the inconvenience of a separate power supply.
Like all our laser products, the SF10/C is Class 1M (eye safe if you don't stare at it through binoculars) and has FDA accession for sale in the USA. Visit our website LightWare or give Tracy a shout at info@lightware.co.za if you want any more information.
LD