The Power of Mobile Scanning: Why the Leica BLK ARC Should Be Your Next Scanner

Laser scanning has transformed “surveying as usual” — it’s likely you have a 3D laser scanner in your truck. Whether you were an early adopter or recently acquired the technology, you have undoubtedly benefited from laser scanning’s speed, completeness, and productivity. It’s an investment tool that keeps on giving, both in enhancing core business and bringing in new. 

But as the world of reality capture has continued to broaden and transform, so too have reality capture projects. From capturing enormous facilities, to complex equipment rooms, to under-bridge surfaces, to narrow alcoves, scanning projects have become more challenging, more intricate and more diverse with an ever-shrinking turnaround time to deliver data. And that’s likely not a trend that will subside.  

So, many customers have been looking for a more flexible 3D solution that can quickly transform real worlds––no matter the complexity––into digital, high-quality data for building information models, digital twins, retrofit planning, and a host of other applications.   

The solution? Mobile scanners. 

Mobile scanning has become a walking reality that not only offers speed, accuracy and efficiency, it provides the added benefit of nimbleness––now you can scan those challenging, hard-to-reach, inaccessible spots in a plant, or refinery or building. And you can capture them  faster. 

As its name implies, mobile scanners capture environments as they move through them in real time. Our Leica BLK ARC is a smart, fast, versatile and reliable mobile scanner that can complement your terrestrial scanning projects and be the primary source of data capture for those projects requiring quick data collection with less detail. Coupled with streamlined workflows, the BLK ARC fosters flexibility, simplifies scanning and powers productivity.  

Here are five reasons why the BLK ARC mobile scanner should be your next scanner: 

 

1. Capturing speed 

The need for speed is ever-present in surveying. In a world where customers want to see everything and they want to see it now, we surveyors are under intense pressure to capture whole realities at speed, while causing as little disruption as possible to clients’ operations. 

Mobile scanning is particularly useful when less detail is needed, but accuracy is required, and efficiency is paramount. Factories, hospitals, oil and gas refineries and automotive manufacturing plants, for example, often require data exactness but have restrictive time windows for collecting active assets. 

One of the key advantages of the BLK ARC is its ability to significantly enhance both efficiency and simplicity. Terrestrial laser scanners are more accurate and provide a higher level of detail. But capturing with a mobile scanner is six to ten times faster than with terrestrial scanners so the mobile scanner can cover 1,000 + square meters in one hour or less. Equipped with GrandSLAM ––a combination of LiDAR SLAM, visual SLAM, and an IMU––the device doesn’t require complex setup planning, nor pre-established survey control points, so you can simply mount it on a carrier, power it on, and walk. The BLK ARC takes care of the rest. 

The BLK ARC can rapidly generate accurate point clouds. For example, in a complex manufacturing plant or a contaminated environment, the device can easily capture a large area in less than 10 minutes. Customers have told us that a survey of a chemical plant with five floors would typically take eight days to complete, but when using the BLK ARC, the same area could be captured within less than a day. 

All this increased efficiency not only provides more productivity with less disruption to the day-to-day operation. It also allows you the opportunity to complete more projects faster and grow your bottom line. 

 

 

2. Versatility in choosing your carrier 

When it comes to scanning projects, size matters. Sites can be large open spaces like a warehouse, tight spaces like a ship’s engine room or mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rooms, multi-level spaces with staircases, or a combination of all these elements. Having flexible tools to match the size and requirements of the job is essential to your project’s success. 

One of the strongest drivers for the BLK ARC is its versatility. The scanner can be mounted on nearly any carrier, giving you the flexibility to efficiently collect data in a wide range of scenarios. Push it through chemical plants on a trolley cart. Capture areas along a river or under a bridge from a boat. Set it on a backpack and collect automobile factories or construction sites as you walk. Mount it on a remote-controlled car to scan niche areas. Or attach it to a robot to access areas that are challenging or dangerous to reach manually.  

Contributing to its adaptability is the BLK ARC’s compact size and lightness. Weighing in at only 690 grams with a height comparable to a standard wooden pencil, the BLK ARC is not only easily transportable but its lightweight and versatile design aids ergonomics that supports health and safety.  

Mounted on a cart, you have no weight to carry. The additional weight that the BLK ARC adds to a backpack setup doesn’t tire and tax your body because it’s so light, and its slim design negates the need to take it off to fit through doorways, low ceilings, or narrow passages. And because its GrandSLAM technology doesn’t require control points, there is no need to set the BLK ARC down every 20 meters to measure a point and pick it back up again.  

The versatility factor is particularly important if you’re in a facility where you may need to evacuate quickly for example due to a fire; with the BLK ARC, you simply leave the pushcart and exit. 

 

 

3. Static and dynamic scanning for more detail

The rich, immersive detail provided by terrestrial laser scanners is just one of the reasons they have become the de-facto standard for capturing real-world assets. Capturing millions of points in a single scan, their accuracy and data quality is hard to beat.  

Mobile scanning, with its movability and versatility, is fast becoming a viable alternative for projects where the level of detail is not as critical as speed, and where clients are looking for lower scanning costs. 

Having both options allows you to be more strategic. You can choose static scanning when you need to capture the finest details and mobile when you need completeness quickly. Unique to the BLK ARC is you don’t have to choose between one approach or the other––it can do both in one seamless data capture. 

The BLK ARC uses GrandSLAM to calculate its position and trajectory in 3D space, orient itself, and understand how it has moved through space. This enables it to constantly capture 3D point clouds while in motion and build a complete dataset of the entire space it moves through. 

But it also offers the option to stop moving during a mobile scan to densify the point cloud. Whether the scanner is mounted on a pushcart, a backpack, a robot or held in your hand, you can stop moving to collect a static scan and capture data for 10 seconds, 30 seconds or 60 seconds. This smart, strategic approach gives you the ability to acquire denser details of areas of interest when you need them.  

With its unique combination of static and mobile scanning, the BLK ARC provides a level of detail that you can trust in your data. You gain an accurate dataset that brings together the detail of static scanning and the efficiency of mobile scanning, giving you your own flexibility and versatility to suit your 3D laser scanning needs. 

 

 

4. Speed of adoption for faster ROI

Familiarity breeds proficiency. If you are already a user of Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS, Leica Cyclone 3DR, Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 or BLK Live apps on iOS and Android, then adding the BLK ARC to your scanning business will feel as familiar as your Leica Geosystems terrestrial laser scanner. You won’t need to learn a new workflow or invest in new software licenses; the device follows the same workflow you’ve always used to capture and process 3D data. With such a short learning curve, you’ll start capturing projects and capitalizing on your investment in no time.  

 

 

5. Reliability

The ability to trust in your scanner and the data it collects bolsters your confidence in your data deliverables. New technology can be hard to trust, particularly for us surveyors where precision is our guiding principle, and our reputation is our work.  

Similar to the beginnings of terrestrial laser scanning, there are question marks around mobile scanning and its ability to consistently deliver accuracy, efficiently and safely.  

The proof is in the details. 

One of the features of the BLK ARC that answers the “can I trust this technology” question is its GrandSLAM algorithm. Leica Geosystems transferred its years of experience and success in developing software and hardware scanning solutions to developing GrandSLAM solely for the unique needs of mobile scanning.  

Since its launch in 2019, GrandSLAM has been constantly developed to serve the needs of multiple mobile scanners and has grown into a reliable partner to capture data on the move. Anchored by its highly sensitive spatial awareness, the BLK ARC’s carrier-aided smooth movement through 3D space ensures the data quality answers the needs of surveyors.  

In addition to its GrandSLAM, the BLK ARC enables you to see the data as its captured using live scanning feedback on your device via the Cyclone FIELD 360 or BLK Live app. And you can choose to view the data being captured in 2D or 3D – or both. This allows you to preview data to support navigation and to ensure everything is captured. 

I had to prove the BLK ARC’s reliability to myself. I tested the device’s performance by adding known georeferenced survey points to my data, an exercise that validated the BLK ARC’s data quality. I encourage you to answer your own questions about reliability and accuracy by putting your data through a similar test. I’m confident that you will see you can rely on it. 

Redefining the survey toolkit

Mobile and terrestrial laser scanning are both valuable tools in the reality capture world. While terrestrial laser scanning excels in capturing detailed data at specific locations, mobile scanning offers mobility, flexibility, rapid data capture, and comprehensive coverage, while still offering accurate 3D data.  

With their versatility, accessibility, and cost efficiencies, mobile scanners like the BLK ARC are poised to redefine “surveying as usual” once again. And in combination with terrestrial laser scanning, you’ll have the versatility to match the diversity of scanning projects that continue to dominate a world where everyone wants to see everything. 

 

Are you considering adding a mobile scanner to your toolkit? Check BLK ARC datasets on our website or contact us straight away to discuss more.  

 

 

Johannes Hotz 

Global Business Lead, Leica BLK ARC 

Johannes Hotz leverages his 20 years in the surveying industry to accelerate the adoption of mobile reality capture.