LightWare LiDAR
About
About LightWare LiDAR
LightWare develops compact time-of-flight LiDAR sensors for measuring altitude, distance and surrounding geometry. The SF30/D rangefinder weighs about 30 g and measures from 0.2 to 200 metres at rates up to 20,000 readings per second, with USB, serial and I²C interfaces. Scanning products such as the SF45/B rotate the sensing field through approximately 320 degrees for short-range mapping and obstacle detection.
Drone builders connect the rangefinder to PX4, ArduPilot or a custom flight computer for terrain following, precision landing and height control where barometric or GNSS altitude is insufficient. Ground robots use scanning models through ROS or direct interfaces for localisation, collision avoidance and environmental mapping. LightWare supplies the sensing module and integration documentation, while the customer develops the navigation and safety behaviour around the resulting distance data.
Products
- microLiDAR Family
microLiDAR
Supply
Team
- Nadia Nilsen - Group CEO - Leads LightWare LiDAR after a planned CEO succession at the compact LiDAR sensor supplier.
- James Portman - Chief Technology Officer - Technical leader at LightWare LiDAR.
Timeline
Events
- 2024-02-06 - Org Change - LightWare LiDAR appoints Nadia Nilsen Group CEO
Nadia Nilsen was formally appointed Group CEO. James Portman shifted focus to product innovation as CTO. The announcement described the change as a planned succession.
Source - 2021-08-16 - Product Launch - LightWare begins shipping SF45 scanning microLiDAR
The 59 g sensor was designed for obstacle sensing and navigation on unmanned systems. The announcement framed SF45 as a compact scanning lidar for machines operating around people and obstacles. The product gives LightWare a concrete offering for maritime autonomy, underwater robotics or marine inspection workflows.
Source
Context
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comparable profile - Mobile Robot LIDAR Supplier
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comparable profile - Mobile Robot LIDAR Supplier
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comparable profile - Mobile Robot LIDAR Supplier
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comparable profile - Mobile Robot LIDAR Supplier
- LDROBOT
comparable profile - Mobile Robot LIDAR Supplier
Shared workflows
- CamSense
workflow adjacency - LIDAR Navigation Mapping
- Touchlab Robotics
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
- Allvision IO
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
- Exyn
workflow adjacency - LIDAR Navigation Mapping
- TDK-InvenSense
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
- Murata
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
- Carnegie Robotics
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
- GRYFN
workflow adjacency - LIDAR Navigation Mapping
- BoE Systems
workflow adjacency - LIDAR Navigation Mapping
- VIAMETRIS
workflow adjacency - LIDAR Navigation Mapping
- Zendar
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
- Nexa
workflow adjacency - Autonomous System Sensing
Context tags
- Mobile robot LiDAR supplier - Peer Group - Context audit 2026-09-07: Scanning LiDAR products SF40/C and SF45/B support robotic detect-and-avoid and navigation; this assignment is not based solely on single-point altimeters.
- LiDAR navigation and mapping - Workflow - Context audit 2026-09-07: Scanning LiDAR products SF40/C and SF45/B support robotic detect-and-avoid and navigation; this assignment is not based solely on single-point altimeters.
- LiDAR sensor supplier - Stack Layer - Context audit 2026-09-07: Scanning LiDAR products SF40/C and SF45/B support robotic detect-and-avoid and navigation; this assignment is not based solely on single-point altimeters.
- Drone payload component supplier - Stack Layer - microLiDAR/rangefinder products are used as drone sensing payload components.
- Drone LiDAR rangefinder supplier - Stack Layer - Profile QA supports Drone LiDAR rangefinder supplier.
- Autonomous System Sensing - Workflow - Profile QA supports Autonomous System Sensing.
- Drone payload avionics supplier - Stack Layer - LiDAR rangefinders sit in the drone payload and avionics supplier layer.
- Component supply - Commercial Stage - Compact LiDAR sensors support component-supplier classification.