SICK Inc., is excited to announce a challenge for universities across the nation to support innovation and student achievement in automation and technology. Twenty teams will be selected to participate in the challenge and the chosen teams will be supplied with a SICK 270° lidar (TiM) and accessories. The teams will be challenged to solve a problem, create a solution and bring a new application that utilizes the SICK scanner in any industry.

From advanced manufacturing to automated vehicles and self-driving cars, engineers are using lidar to change the world as we know it. One of the fastest-growing markets for lidar, however, is in primary, secondary, and end-of-line packaging. As the usability of lidar has increased while the price has decreased, lidar is becoming ever more instrumental in ensuring the quality and efficiency of packaging processes at the world’s biggest companies.

Learn more: https://www.sick.com/us/en/detection-and-ranging-solutions/2d-lidar-sensors/tim7xx/c/g501853

The 3 winning teams will win a cash award of 

Foreign Object Detection on Airport Tarmacs

This team used the SICK LiDAR sensor to detect foreign object debris (FOD) on airport tarmacs, like screws or metal strips from planes. The system built by this team is an AGV that drives around the tarmac and detects any FOD with the LiDAR sensor.

Visual Impairment Walking Aid

This team developed a walking aid for the visually impaired using the SICK LiDAR sensor. Instead of implementing the device in a cane or other walking aid, the team created a wearable device that provides a person with an audio warning in advance of an obstacle.

Low-Friction Test Bed for CubeSats (Micro Satellites)

This team created a low-friction testbed to test CubeSats, which are microsatellites. One major application of these microsatellites is rendezvous proximity operations, where a LiDAR sensor is used to accurately track its position to another object.