How to have LiDAR Sensor Data Show More Clearly?

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Since this is your first time using a LiDAR sensor, I thought I would answer if it might be possible.

The Hokuyo utm 30lx is a 2D LiDAR, so it senses only in the horizontal direction. In a tidy room, a few lines may be correct. ( as in this image )

If the sensing result you want is something like this image, then you need to get a 3D LiDAR sensor.

There are various reasons this could happen:

• in rviz, you can configure the size and color of the individual laser scan points. Make sure you have set the points big enough to see.
• rviz draws the scan relative to the robot's calculated x,y position. If the robot position is wrongly calculated, the scan may be drawn outside the window. Zoom out on the map to check for this.
• A lidar has a maximum range. If a wall or obstacle is too far away for the lidar to see, that ray will not display a point.