CSIRO awards $2m for 3D mapping software upgrade

UK-based start-up GeoSLAM is partnering with CSIRO to further develop the handheld 3D Laser mapping technology Zebedee.

CSIRO’s Australian Growth Partnership (AGP) program has awarded $2 million to enhance and add features to Zebedee’s underlying simultaneous localisation and mapping technology. The next-generation developments will enable manufacturers to create faster and more accurate 3D simulations of their factory production lines.

Licensed to GeoSLAM, Zebedee is a breakthrough system being used by more than 25 multinational organisations for efficiency and productivity gains.

“GeoSLAM is a true start-up success story. It was established in 2012 as a joint venture between CSIRO and 3D Laser Mapping to commercialise our technology, and has since achieved major worldwide sales and recognition,” said CSIRO Digital Productivity Flagship’s Nick Marsh.

Zebedee enables users to create accurate 3D maps simply by walking through a desired location.

It is part of a suite of lightweight assistive machines known as Guardian Technologies, which were the focus of a keynote address by CSIRO’s Digital Productivity Flagship Director Dr Michael Brünig at RoboBusiness 2014 in Boston, United States.

“There’s real value for companies in mapping dynamic environments in real time. For example, manufacturers can use the technology to map components on a production line and track their progress to improve efficiencies and flow,” said Dr Brünig.

“There’s also the opportunity to use these technologies to create real-to-life simulations of the factory floor for training and quality control activities.”

The AGP funding was awarded to GeoSLAM through a competitive process, in recognition of the company’s rapid early success and the potential to advance the technology through CSIRO - which has Australia’s largest field robotics research centre.

“The technology was first applied to the mining industry but it’s now being used in a whole host of areas, from security and forestry to mapping cultural heritage sites,” said Marsh.

“It has mapped some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as well as national treasures like the Jenolan Caves near the Blue Mountains and Fort Lytton in Brisbane.”