DJI launched the Zenmuse L2 at the Intergeo 2023 geospatial conference in Berlin today– and it’s a crucial part in DJI’s enter the LiDAR transformation. It’s set to be a video game changer for surveying and mapping jobs, in addition to for applications such as mining and quarrying.
Mount this sensing unit to your drone, and you’ll have the ability to catch real-time 3D information, all the method to the information of intricate structures. With that information, your drone will have the ability to produce highly-accurate, rebuilt designs.
The DJI Zenmuse L2 is a LiDAR system developed for precise and exact 3D information collection, and it marks a considerable upgrade from the previous Zenmuse L1, which was DJI’s very first LiDAR payload.
In both numerous and single return modes, Zenmuse L2 can reach a max point cloud emission rate of 240,000 points per 2nd, which suggests it can obtain big quantities of point cloud information in a reasonably brief time frame.
And while the Zenmuse L2 is everything about high LiDAR efficiency, it likewise includes a variety of other improvements, such as:
- Support for as much as 5 returns, which boosts its capability to gather bare earth information.
- A 4/3 CMOS RGB mapping video camera with a mechanical shutter and bigger pixel size for enhanced image quality.
- Enlarged pixel size to 3.3 μm (efficient pixels now reach 20 MP).
- A high-accuracy, self-developed IMU without any warm-up time, enabling users to begin catching information right away after powering on.
- Support for synchronised LiDAR and photogrammetry information capture, with True Color LiDAR information.
- 3-axis gimbal.
The Zenmuse L2 works with a range of DJI drone platforms, consisting of the $10,600 Matrice 300 and$9,500 Matrice 350 RTK It’s likewise supported by DJI Terra software application, which supplies a tools for processing and evaluating LiDAR information.
Ongoing focus on industrial drones
This newest item launch from DJI signals a continuous shift in the drone market where business are significantly concentrated on the industrial side of drones. That was most significantly seen in August 2023, when American drone company Skydio revealed that it would sunset its consumer drone division totally. DJI is not likely to close its customer drone department; after all, it has a huge market share on the civil side.
But that does not suggest it’s not leaning into business drones, mostly since that’s where both the growthh and the cash is at. The average in advance expense of drone devices for public security companies in 2020 was $12,000, according to a study from The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, showing that business like DJI can likely charge for items offered to business consumers than what it can fairly charge customers.
Experts likewise anticipate that the industrial side will see much more development than the customer side. According to the professionals over at German-based drone analytics group Drone Industry Insights (DII), the industrial side of drones is forecasted to see a compound typical development rate (CAGR) of 7.7% through 2030. On the other hand, DII forecasts the leisure side will “basically stay stagnant,” though it might in fact slow, provided a CAGR of -0.3%.
The DJI Zenmuse L2 vs. L1

When the Zenmuse L2’s predecessor, the Zenmuse L1 released, it was viewed as a budget-friendly entry level lidar system. It incorporates a Livox Lidar module, a high-accuracy IMU, and an electronic camera with a 1-inch CMOS on a 3-axis supported gimbal. Years later on, the DJI Zenmuse L2 uses a variety of enhancements that make it a more flexible and effective tool for specialists in different markets.
” Three years ago DJI was delighted to present a affordable and trustworthy LiDAR system for aerial platforms utilized by surveyor, electrical energy inspectors, and forestry specialists, to call simply a couple of,” stated Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI. With our goal of promoting market advancement in all business verticals, we are continuing to take on user discomfort points through technical development and improving market performance.”
One of the most substantial enhancements given that the L1 is the increased detection variety. The Zenmuse L2 can now spot items from as much as 250 meters at 10% reflectivity, and as much as 450 meters at 50% reflectivity, making it more perfect for massive studies and mapping jobs.
Another enhancement is the minimized laser area size. The Zenmuse L2’s minimized area size of 4 × 12 cm @ 100m is just a fifth of that of the Zenmuse L1. This suggests that the Zenmuse L2 can spot smaller sized and more in-depth items, even in thick plants– important for applications such as forestry and building.
The essential differentiators in the Zenmuse L2 vs. L1 are:
- A boosted RGB video camera
- An updated LiDAR module
- Improved precision
Who is the DJI Zenmuse L2 for?
The DJI Zenmuse L2 will likely be an essential tool worldwide of 3D information collection. It’s developed to be what DJI is calling a “turnkey” service. When utilized in tandem with DJI Terra, the system makes it quite simple to utilize drones for not simply 3D information collection, however likewise extremely precise post-processing.
Here are simply a few of the lots of prospective applications for the Zenmuse L2:
- Mapping and surveying
- Forestry
- Construction
- Mining and quarrying
- Disaster reaction
- Precision farming
- Infrastructure assessment
- Archaeological research study
Professionals in fields such as land surveying, mapping, electrical energy forestry, facilities and assessment management, may utilize a drone like the Matrice 300 in tandem with the Zenmuse L2 to acquire massive, three-dimensional spatial info in a brief time.
Prior to drones, employees in those fields may have utilized conventional manual measurement innovation, which requires more work and needs more time.
But while it was revealed this week, it’s not offered rather. DJI just states the DJI Zenmuse L2 will be offered for buy from its own shop, in addition to main DJI Enterprise dealerships “in the future.”
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