Panasonic Mapper

History

2026: Product Announcement

At the end of January 2026, the Japanese corporation Panasonic introduced a portable device that allows you to form a three-dimensional model of a building while walking on it. The novelty was named @ mapper.

The main component of the system is a special laser scanner on a tripod - an improved lidar. The range is 60 meters, which allows you to create 3D diagrams of objects of significant area in a relatively short time. To view the resulting image, a gadget in the form of a tablet is used.

According to Panasonic, a digital map of the structure with an area of ​ ​ 5 thousand square meters using @ mapper can be obtained in about an hour. When using traditional equipment, the user needs to stop and take measurements every 10-20 meters, while it will take at least half a day to form a model of a building of the same size.

It is assumed that the novelty will be of interest primarily to the owners of various industrial facilities. Old production facilities are often applied only to paper drawings, which makes it difficult to modernize and optimize areas. Thanks to digital 3D schemes, business owners can more accurately model layout changes and find solutions that save labor and improve efficiency. In addition, 3D maps will make it easier to integrate robotics into operations. For example, detailed 3D models will help you plan the routes of autonomous mobile robots. Another promising area of ​ ​ application @ mapper is the restoration of historical buildings.

The system will go on sale at an estimated price of $12.6 thousand. As Panasonic notes, standard equipment for mapping objects can cost up to five times more.^[1]

Notes