Novel (re-configurable, wearable, light weight, ergonomic) low cost 3D mobile mapping system not only for extreme mapping applications

Abstract. This paper presents a novel low cost 3D mapping system designed for fulfilling the gap between existing solutions and constantly growing end-users’ expectations. Firstly, the cost was reduced to minimum by providing an open-source, open-hardware projects. Secondly, the ergonomic, light weight, reconfigurable approach enables a wearable approach to maximize the mobility of the end user. It allows among other things the freedom to walk, crawl and climb. Those are necessities in extreme mobile mapping applications such as cave mapping, construction site survey, search and rescue missions and other unexplored yet applications such as mobile mapping with K9s (trained dogs equipped with 3D mobile mapping systems). The significance of this research is to provide cost effective mobile mapping solution for as large audience as it is possible. Thus, our software is constantly improved for covering more applications e.g. air + ground + underground mapping.