# Technology Question/New Idea



## littlehuman (Jun 10, 2020)

So maybe it's not a new idea at all but I wanted to post here in hopes that someone might be able to shed light.

I was reading through new features for the iPhone 12, slated to be released later this fall. One of the features that it comes with is a LiDAR system, marketed by the company as having the ability to discern accurate distance with the phone camera.

Now, admittedly, it seems to only work within 5 meters, but my idea that comes into play with it:

Could this system be used to map out our lawns and detect unlevel ground/assist us with grading and leveling?

Steal the idea if you want, but I'm wondering if through some hefty app building, something could be created where you just hold your phone facing the ground, walk your entire lawn, and then have the app use both GPS and LiDAR data to map out an entire image of your yard's grading.

Maybe this tech already exists, maybe it won't work due to LiDAR bouncing off grass blades instead of the soil/ground, maybe it's just not feasible to program an app of that complexity, I don't know. But my thinking was that if this tech already exists, it's likely far too expensive for the average homeowner. If that's the case, enter... a way to do it on your phone for the menial price of an app.


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