Category: Sensors

Kauai Labs announces the release of the “Second Generation” navX2 – a “drop-in replacement” for the “Classic” navX-Micro sensor, with several upgrades significantly improving accuracy.

In a nutshell, the startup time is now less than 5 seconds, accuracy of pitch, roll and yaw measurements are much improved, and due to lower accelerometer noise levels, the velocity and displacements are significantly improved.

navX2-Micro is completely compatible with the “Classic” navX-Micro, and internally features these upgrades:

• navX2-Micro features the new 6-axis LSM6DSM IMU and LIS2MDL Magnetometer circuits from ST Microelectronics; these modern sensors feature lower noise, higher accuracy and improved shock resistance than the Invensense MPU-9250 found in the “Classic” navX-Micro sensor.
• navX2-Micro features an upgraded onboard microcontroller which doubles the speed of that found on the “Classic” navX-Micro.
• navX2-Micro uses a new Kalman Filter-based algorithm with improved accuracy and running at a much higher 415Hz update rate.
• As a result of these enhancements, yaw drift is now much lower, startup time is reduced to only 5 seconds, and pitch/roll accuracy is also increased.

For more information, visit the online navX2-Micro Product Site.

As of May, 2016, navX-MXP is aboard over 700 FIRST FRC robots, and 100 FTC robots.  Kauai Labs is dedicated to continually increasing the functionality of the navX-MXP and navX-Micro, and has been listening to our customers requests for additional functionality.  In response, Kauai Labs has released the third-generation firmware, version 3.0 and associated libraries which support several key new features:

• Increased update rates of 200Hz (5 milliseconds/sample)
• Support for video-processing latency correction in distributed processing environment

To access these new features, please visit the “upgrading firmware” instruction page.

KauaiLabs, Inc. announces the navX-Micro Robotics Navigation Sensor

• 9-Axis IMU/Magnetic Sensor (Gyro / Accelerometer / Magnetometer)
• Intelligent Motion Processor

Today, KauaiLabs announces the third-generation Open Source navX-Micro Robotics Navigation Sensor, designed for use with the Android-Based FIRST Technology Challenge (FTC) Robotics as well as the FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC) Control Systems.  navX-Micro is based on the same core technology within the navX-MXP sensor now in use by hundreds of FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC) teams.

navX-Micro features a 32-bit ARM processor, the Invensense MPU-9250 sensor system-on-chip, and software algorithms which  include enhanced sensor calibration, data fusion combining gyro, accelerometer and magnetometer data into a “9-axis heading”, and high-quality magnetometer calibration including magnetic disturbance detection. In addition to being an Inertial Measurement Unit, navX-Micro capabilities are referred to within the aerospace industry as an “Attitude/Heading Reference System” (AHRS). Kauailabs brings this high-tech AHRS capability to FIRST FTC and FRC teams – to use, learn and explore. navX-Micro is a key component of Kauailabs’ ongoing efforts to make state-of-the-art navigation technologies used in drones and autonomous vehicles (e.g., the Google Car) available to robotics students and enthusiasts as low-cost, open-source products.

navX-Micro is available for purchase online now for $79.   The navX-Micro FTC library is also compatible with the navX-MXP sensor for those teams wishing to get started immediately.

Open Source schematics, firmware source code, FTC library source code and example code is available online.  For those desiring an enclosure, a 3D-printable enclosure is also available for those wishing to create their own, or can be purchased separately online.

More details are available at navX-Micro Online.

KauaiLabs, Inc. announces the navX MXP Robotics Navigation Sensor

• 9-Axis Sensor (Gyro / Accelerometer / Magnetometer)
• Intelligent Motion Processor
• RoboRIO Expansion I/O

In late 2013, Kauailabs released the nav6 Open Source Inertial Measurement Unit, providing high-accuracy measures of pose (yaw/pitch/roll), with minimal yaw drift of ~1 degree per minute – performance far exceeding the analog gyro included in the FRC Kit of Parts. nav6 was used by several teams at the 2014 FIRST Championships for features including field-oriented drive.

Now, Kauailabs announces the navX MXP Robotics Navigation Sensor, which takes nav6 technology to the next level in two significant ways.

First, navX MXP was designed to use the RoboRIO MXP Expansion Connector – enabling plug-n-play installation on the National Instruments RoboRIO, and adding digital, analog I/O and UART / SPI / I2C port expansion.

Second, navX MXP features a 32-bit ARM processor, the new Invensense MPU-9250 sensor system-on-chip, and software algorithms which take nav6 technology to the next level, including enhanced sensor calibration and algorithms which fuse gyro, accelerometer and magnetometer data into a “9-axis heading”. The “9-axis heading” is enabled by magnetometer calibration tools (available online at no cost) and magnetometer disturbance detection and data fusion algorithms. This capability is known within the aerospace industry as an “Attitude/Heading Reference System” (AHRS). Kauailabs brings this high-tech AHRS capability to FIRST FRC teams – to use, learn and explore. navX MXP is a key component of Kauailabs’ ongoing efforts to make state-of-the-art navigation technologies used in autonomous vehicles (e.g., the Google Car) available to robotics students and enthusiasts as low-cost, open-source products.

navX MXP will be available for puchase online a few days after the 2015 FIRST FRC build season kickoff at AndyMark and Kauailabs. MSRP is $99.

More details available at navX-MXP Online.

The new LIDAR Lite sensor now available at Garmin offers high-performance distance sensing at a fraction of the cost of comparable sensors.

Lidar Lite has a range of up to 40 meters, and features a low-cost implementation of time-of-flight algorithms used in expensive LIDAR systems  like those used with the Google Car. The LIDAR-Lite uses an I2C communications interface, which allows multiple modules to be connected as slaves to a common communications bus, and draws only 100 milliamps of power.

Kauai Labs has ordered one of these units and will be developing a prototype 2D scanner which can measure 360 degrees of distance and SNR, designed for use in FIRST robotics to enable localization. Stay tuned for more developments, we’ll be posting details as they emerge.