3D LiDAR

Every surface. Mapped in one flight.

Survey-grade. Real-time. GPS-free.

The 3D LiDAR payload turns one Scout 137 flight into a navigable point cloud of the entire asset interior. Same sensor handles SLAM localization in real time. The result lands in Scout Portal as a 3D model that every other measurement attaches to.

Point rate: 5.2 M / s
Resolution: 128 beams
Range resolution: 1 mm
Localization: GPS-free SLAM
Point rate: 5.2 M / s
Resolution: 128 beams
Range resolution: 1 mm
Localization: GPS-free SLAM

Until now, the survey and the inspection were two different jobs.

The 3D LiDAR runs both at once — then turns that capture into a model you can navigate, measure and share.

Full asset geometry. Single flight.

Survey-grade point cloud

The LiDAR captures up to 5.24 million measurements per second at survey-grade precision (down to a 1 mm range resolution). One pass through a cargo tank, distillation column or penstock returns the complete interior surface as a dense point cloud — tuned for close geometry, with up to 75 m range (35 m on dark, 10%-reflectivity surfaces) for the rare large space.

What used to take a static terrestrial survey rig and two days of setup happens in a 15-minute flight. And survey-grade comes standard: the LiDAR is built into every Scout 137 Gen 3 and runs on every flight — not a payload you mount, a rig you rent, or a premium add-on.

It navigates in total darkness, with no GPS.

The sensor that maps is the sensor that flies

Inside a sealed tank there is no satellite signal and no light. The OS0 doesn’t just measure distance — it captures a camera-grade near-infrared image of every surface, lit by its own laser. So the same sensor that builds the point cloud also sees where it is and flies on it: sub-decimetre positioning in pitch black, with no beacons, no markers and no ground setup.

That coherence is the whole point. Because the drone always knew exactly where it was, every reading from every payload — UT, photo, gas — sits in one consistent coordinate frame, ready to become a single navigable model.

The point cloud becomes a live digital twin.

Lands in Scout Portal

After the flight, upload to Scout Portal and the point cloud becomes a navigable 3D model of the asset interior you walk through in the browser, nothing to install. Every UT reading, photo and gas measurement anchors to it in the same coordinate frame.

Inspectors, asset owners and class surveyors review the same model remotely, long after the flight — without anyone re-entering the asset.

Measure it, share it, build on it.

What you get out

More than a file. Take measurements anywhere in the 3D model, compare this inspection against the last to see what changed, and generate the report. Engineering and class get an as-built model they can explore for themselves.

And it’s portable: export from Scout Portal to LAZ, PCD, PLY or E57 for Autodesk ReCap, Leica Cyclone, Bentley OpenCities or any digital-twin pipeline. The inspection and the as-built model become the same file.

Four steps from scan to digital twin.

Same Scout 137 flow as any other payload. The difference: the data layer captured this flight is what every future flight measures against.
01 Configure

The LiDAR is already on board. Pilot powers up Scout 137 and loads scan settings tuned to the asset type — no payload to fit, no calibration on site.

02 Scan

Drone flies a systematic pattern through the asset. LiDAR captures the interior surface at up to 5.24 million points per second.

03 Build

Point cloud builds in real time. Coverage gaps show in Scout Operator, so a re-pass can be flown before the drone leaves the asset.

04 Upload

The point cloud uploads to Scout Portal. Available to inspectors, surveyors and engineering. Exports to PCD and LAZ.

“By obtaining precise measurements from the drone, we know exactly how much space we have to work with and can accurately calculate how much rock needs to be removed in areas where there isn’t enough room for reinforcement today.”

Johnny Skå0r | Statens Vegvesen | Norwegian National Road Authorities

3D LiDAR Payload

Specifications

Sensor

Sensor: 128-beam Ouster OS0 Rev 7 (survey-grade)
Range: 0.5 – 75 m (80% reflectivity) 35 m (10% reflectivity)
Field of view: 360° horizontal × 90° vertical
Point rate: Up to 5.24 million points/second (128-channel, dual return)

Localisation

SLAM: Real-time, same sensor sub-decimetre drone positioning inside the asset
Operates: GPS-free in total darkness no beacons or ground setup

Accuracy & output

Precision: ±0.8 – 4 cm (1 std-dev, range-dependent) 1 mm range resolution
Exports (via Scout Portal): LAZ high-density PCD, LAZ, PLY, E57 medium-density
CAD & digital-twin compatible: Point-cloud formats import into Autodesk ReCap, Leica Cyclone, Bentley OpenCities, FME and common digital-twin platforms

Mount & physical

Integration: Built into Scout 137 Gen 3 always on, not a removable payload
Sensor weight: 430 g
Operating temperature: −20 °C to +50 °C
Laser & ingress: Class 1 eye-safe (865 nm) IP68 / IP69K

The point cloud is the foundation everything else lands on.

See the point cloud — and what you do with it.

Request a Proof of Concept
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