Telfor Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2022. 67 Original scientific paper Abstract — In this paper a new system for 3D (three- dimensional) mapping using affordable LIDAR (light detection and ranging) is presented. The implementation of LIDAR technology-based approach enables obtaining a point cloud as a representation of indoor surrounding. In recent years with the help of LIDAR this kind of sensing has found numerous applications across various industries. Here, a cloud of points is generated during room scanning using Arduino platform based rotating system. The obtained results are promising, and the proposed solution can find its practical application in different fields. Moreover, it can provide many possibilities for future experiments with surrounding mappings, image matching, autonomous driving, obstacle observation, collision avoidance, material type detection such as transparent ones. Keywords — LIDAR, sensor, affordable system, 3D, point cloud, computer vision. I. INTRODUCTION ADAR technology bases its operating principle on the reflection of electromagnetic waves. Similarly, the radar concept can be used for light and obtaining image mapping which resulted in LIDAR (light detection and ranging) [1]-[3]. LIDAR is applied for distance measuring, where a target is illuminated by laser light. LIDAR emits light in the form of high power and spatial concentrated wave, using laser as a source. This light hits an object and reflects back to the sensor place. Next, a system measures time for that emitted pulse and calculates the distance between the LIDAR and the object. The measured time difference between a sent and registered beam is used for the 3D (three-dimensional) representation of the target. With scanning all directions in its surroundings, LIDAR generates a cloud of points. The points in space are found where reflection occurred. The main difference between LIDAR and radar is in spatial resolution which is in favour of LIDAR. The most frequent application of LIDAR is generating high-resolution maps in different fields, from a stationary position or from a vehicle like a car, drone or airplane, where LIDAR is mounted. Applications include the field of geology, environmental monitoring, detection of deforestation, robot guidance, airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM), etc. With the advancement of technology, it has also been employed in handheld devices. In several recent years its significance is found in autonomous driving, which has led to a drastic reduction of LIDAR price and developing a new realisation without a scanning mechanism [2]-[6]. Generally, LIDAR technologies are considered of rather high-cost level [7]-[9]. For example, the prices of spinning mechanical LIDARs are of high cost for auto makers, but the trend is to introduce more cost-effective solutions where the new LIDARs are typically limited to 120 degrees [10]-[11]. This requires multiple stationary LIDARs pointing in different directions for building a 3D point cloud of surroundings. Nowadays, cost-effective LIDAR systems are being considered for various industries. In UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) industry LIDAR sensors are applied for remote sensing. Loading new cost-effective LIDARs on top of drones and their suitability are under consideration since previously LIDARs have been loaded on large aircrafts increasing the cost of the system. Power of fast processing electronics is making the pathway toward systems that are compact, fast, and low-cost. Some of non- mechanical solutions can be particularly of interest to decrease the usage of bulky components. The systems are developed for 3D indoor or outdoor monitoring while achieving a compact size and light weight [12]-[14]. Different wavelengths can be used for LIDAR based approaches, from ultraviolet to infrared. It can hit targets of various materials, including non-metallic objects, aerosols, clouds, ideally even molecules. This paper presents a new affordable 3D mapping system based on LIDAR sensor and Arduino platform. The explanation of both hardware and software is given, as well as the explanation of applied method for point cloud calculation. The obtained simulation results are discussed and followed by a suggestion for future work and possible improvements. System for 3D Mapping using Affordable LIDAR Veličko Krsmanović, Marko Barjaktarović, and Ana Gavrovska, Member, IEEE R Paper received June 12, 2022; accepted October 25, 2022. Date of publication December 26, 2022. The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Prof. Irini Reljin. This paper is revised and expanded version of the paper presented at the 29th Telecommunications Forum TELFOR 2022 [1]. The research presented in this paper is partially funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, No. 2022/200103. Veličko Krsmanović is with the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73, 11020 Belgrade, Serbia (e-mail: vekismile93@gmail.com). Marko Barjaktarović is with the Department of Microelectronics and Technical Physics, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73, 11020 Belgrade, Serbia (e- mail: mbarjaktarovic@etf.bg.ac.rs). Ana Gavrovska is with the Department of Telecommunications, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73, 11020 Belgrade, Serbia (e-mail: anaga777@gmail.com; anaga777@etf.rs).