Streak Tube Imaging LiDAR: Advanced Bathymetric Lidar Solution

The Pushbroom Imaging LiDAR for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) system is a Joint ONR NAVAIR-funded SBIR program that developed and demonstrated an advanced airborne Bathymetric Lidar solution utilizing Areté’s Streak Tube Imaging LiDAR (STIL) technology. This innovative system provides unparalleled capabilities for high-resolution bathymetric data collection. It is in use both for defense and commercial customers. The program includes the development of a new, high-resolution/high dynamic range camera and the integration of a second Areté-manufactured AIRTRAC Laser to increase Pulse Rate Frequency (PRF), as well as the implementation of an onboard real-time processor.

The PILLS Bathymetric Lidar solution has undergone three defense-related iterations and has been deployed on nine different commercial aircraft to date. Additionally, Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) flight tests have been successfully completed on both the Seahunter UAS and the Schiebel CAMCOPTER® S-100. The S-100, currently operated by 45 countries, offers a compact footprint with significant payload capacity (110 lbs.), power (1 kW), and volume, without requiring additional launch or recovery equipment for land- or ship-based operations.

The PILLS program has resulted in a series of advanced low Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) bathymetric lidar systems capable of hydrographic surveys and alternate detection missions. Designed for compatibility with tactical-class Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), the system meets the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) accuracy and depth standards (Standard 1A). This sensor has established a new niche in small, airborne, depth-penetrating bathymetric lidar solutions, revolutionizing capabilities for hydrographic and littoral surveillance applications.

• Commercial Mapping: Effective for detailed coastal and nearshore mapping.
• Bathymetry: Provides accurate depth measurements using advanced Bathymetric LiDAR sensors, crucial for underwater topography and hydrographic surveys.

In 2018, Areté, in collaboration with Fugro, USA, a commercial hydrographic mapping company, customized the PILLS technology for commercial use. The reduced SWaP-C, efficient swath coverage, comparable depth penetration, and equivalent accuracy to existing commercial LiDARs made the PILLS technology attractive to the commercial sector. Fugro has two systems in the field, under the commercial moniker Rapid Airborne Multibeam Mapping System (RAMMS), and a third to be delivered in 2022.