SLAMTEC Mapper M1M1: A US$199.00 ToF 360° laser scanner kit that can map over 100,000 m²

Google and Microsoft started mapping the floorplans of buildings years ago, while both have been using Lidar systems for even longer with Bing and Google Maps. Now, Chinese company SLAMTEC has miniaturised that technology with the Mapper M1M1, a portable Lidar device that has a 20-metre range and can map an area over 100,000 m².

The Mapper M1M1 has a 5 cm resolution with a re-localisation accuracy of less than 0.02 m, allowing you to map a room or a wider space precisely. SLAMTEC also boasts that the device has a built-in inertial navigation system that can move up to 9° while compensating for speeds of up to 1 m/s (3.6 kph/~2.23 mph). The Mapper M1M1 can map accurately regardless of the lighting in which it is being used, with SLAMTEC demonstrating it being used outside.

SLAMTEC has published a GitHub repository for the device, along with an SDK and firmware on its website. There are Android, iOS, Linux and Windows versions of both, for reference. SLAMTEC has released other portable Lidar equipment too, although they tend to be more expensive than the Mapper M1M1, with the RPLIDAR S1 costing US$649 on Seeedstudio. There is also a "Pro Edition" of the Mapper M1M1 called the M2M1, which has a wider range than the M1M1, but this is not currently available.

Seeedstudio has also published an in-depth article about the differences between various portable Lidar equipment including the Mapper M1M1, which it currently sells for US$199. The product listing states that the company is offering free DHL international shipping, but also that the device will cost US$249 after the introductory pricing of US$199 ends on August 15.