How is LiDAR revolution is changing the game? Imagine a world where maps aren’t just lines but full-on 3D pictures guiding everything from city planning to phone networks. Now meet Babar Ahmed, a Software Design Engineer who’s bringing that world to life with Mobile LiDAR tech. His journey’s pretty cool starting as an intern messing around with a mapping truck and turning into a guy who’s shaking up the whole field. The LiDAR market’s making a big splash, set to hit $7.8 billion by 2030, growing over 21% a year, according to Allied Market Research. It is huge for telecom, construction, and big projects, but the pricey and tricky systems have always been a hassle. Ahmed says, “I wanted to make something accurate, easy to use, and not super expensive.” That’s what he is doing with a robotics team that kicked off in 2018.
As an intern, Ahmed got his hands dirty figuring out a single Mobile LiDAR truck. No, sitting around he learned fast and soon graduated and became a Robotics Engineer. That’s when he started cooking up new tricks like sensor tuning, calibration and image blending. The big bang came when he built his own Mobile LiDAR system 50-60% cheaper than outside options and customizable. “That was a game-changer,” he says. “We became the bosses of our tech, and it opened the road to growth.” Now as a Software Engineer, he has rolled out five trucks mapping different places at once. He has made tools to grab data smoothly and process it automatically, so everything’s quick and spot-on. His work’s gone from the US to Switzerland just the beginning!
One day, Ahmed got to map an amusement park ride, roller coasters and all the wild turns. He led a team, mixing two LiDAR techs to whip up an awesome 3D model of the ride and its area. “It was a bit tough,” he admits. “We had to blend the systems so it was perfect but didn’t take forever.” They crushed it, and it wasn’t just a tech win it helped people. The park’s project manager said, “We’d been stuck with bad maps for years. Safety checks were a mess. Babar’s team gave us some amazing work’s easier and safer now.” This story shows how Ahmed’s work isn’t just tech, it changes lives.
Ahmed’s ideas are making noise outside the office too. At big tech expos, people love his Mobile LiDAR setups cheap, flexible, and way different from those locked-up, overpriced systems. With a 3D viewer he helped build, users can see all the data and tweak it however they want. “People like that they can fix GPS data later or set it up for their project,” he says. “It gives them power.” The world’s crazy about LiDAR according to a 2024 Deloitte report, 70% of telecom companies use it for network planning. Ahmed’s cheap and do-it-your-way idea fits right in. He even pitched it to a client in Switzerland, putting his team on the global stage.
Ahmed’s style is different; he mixes robotics, coding, and mapping magic to get stuff done. While others keep things running, he builds new tools, teaches younger engineers, and handles data servers. He has made a four-camera system too, tracking things on a budget. “Tech’s supposed to solve problems, not give headaches,” he laughs. “I want LiDAR to be fast, smart, and easy on the pocket.” he is writing a research paper too, to inspire the next bunch of innovators. Babar Ahmed isn’t just making tools he is creating a future where mapping is cheap, perfect, and open to all, one truck at a time!
