Lidar on the new iPhone?

[NoCaution]

So, with the addition of a Lidar sensor on the new iPhone 12 Pro, how long till we see devs utilizing it for golf apps? The most obvious use would be as a fairly advanced green reading tool. The AR apps that are out now should be kicked into high-gear, right? I don't know much about the technical specs, but with the combo of higher resolution camera, faster processor, and lidar, could we finally see some sort of half-way decent launch monitor app? I'm overdue for a phone upgrade anyway, so I was already planning on buying one, but the idea of shiny new golf apps has me somewhat excited. 

 

I don't know. Thoughts?

[npham]

I just saw the Rick Shields video on this today, and came here wondering how LiDAR is going to change the game. I would imagine that there would be significant accuracy gains to be had with this technology. I've got a 12 Pro on order, but I don't expect to see anything come out for some time. I would happily pay $100 for an app that could replicate, within say 5%, of what Trackman or a GC2 Quad could do. I don't want that extra hardware to lug around. I've always got my phone with me though.

[PostandGhost]

Elon Musk says LiDAR is poo poo, but what does he know.  I bet he doesn't even play golf!

[ThinkingPlus]

The LIDAR in the iPhone 12 is worthless for golf related measurements.  Far, far too weak.

[npham]

31 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

The LIDAR in the iPhone 12 is worthless for golf related measurements.  Far, far too weak.

I think we are just talking about improving the existing apps that do tracking. It can't hurt.

[NoCaution]

I'm personally MUCH more interested in what lidar can do to improve green reading apps. I've played around with it just for a moment, and it accurately maps surfaces instantly. Theoretically, it's sophisticated enough that you should be able to stand behind your ball, and get a nearly instant putting line in AR. Whoever makes it could even add a feature where you film a couple of putts on the practice green beforehand to calibrate the stimp that day. Obviously it would never be allowed outside of casual rounds, but as a training tool it could be invaluable. 

 

As to utilizing it as a launch monitor, obviously lidar can't react fast enough to give usable data on it's own. However, apps that use the cameras to replicate launch monitors (like the one in the Rick Shiels video) could potentially use the lidar as a calibration tool to generate more accurate readings. Lidar could provide a very precise distance of the where the ball and clubhead are in relation to the camera, as well as angles of view and other variables, then extrapolate that for better results from the camera. I don't think it would be fast enough, but what if the lidar could set the baseline distance from the lens of the ball at rest, then the distance from the lens of the ball in immediate flight and combine it with the camera it to get a fairly accurate ball speed? Obviously, the biggest drawback is that no combo of camera and lidar will ever get a very accurate spin, but you could always calibrate your stats from a proper monitor to compensate. A company like Trackman could make a killing by releasing an app that does what I'm talking about and then charging extra to dial it in at a local Trackman location. An iPhone is probably never going to get the same results as the big boys, but if they could make something that at least gave a baseline consistent reading, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Just sayin...

[aggie182]

Curious if you could scan greens, export to AutoCAD (or similar), and create contour or relief maps of the greens.  Think that would be really cool.