Customer Story: WISPR and LightWare LiDAR

As commercial drone operations move into more demanding surveying, inspection, and industrial environments, reliability, precision, and safety are no longer optional. For drone manufacturers like WISPR Systems, enabling confident flight at speed, often near structures, over water, or in complex terrain, requires sensor technology that performs consistently in the real world.

To meet these demands, WISPR selected LightWare LiDAR as a core sensing technology across its drone platforms, embedding it directly into collision avoidance, terrain following, and mission-critical workflows.

WISPR Systems at a glance

Founded in 2015 by engineers Connor Ferguson and Austin Ratcliffe while at Mississippi State University, WISPR Systems has grown into a highly respected and thriving American drone manufacturer serving surveying, mapping, and industrial inspection markets.

After early work in wireless connectivity, WISPR pivoted toward high-precision aerial data collection, where precise and repeatable accuracy, robust sensor fusion, and operational reliability are essential. Today, WISPR’s SkyScout Series combines rugged hardware with custom software that allows customers to design complex missions, fuse multiple sensors, and operate with confidence in challenging environments.

The challenge: LiDAR that could keep up with real-world operations

As WISPR expanded into applications such as bathymetry, methane detection, and industrial inspection, limitations in earlier LiDAR solutions became clear.

Critical requirements were not being met:

• Obstacle detection was unreliable at flight speeds up to 20 m/s
• Downward-facing range was limited (~60 feet), reducing terrain-following stability
• Performance over water and reflective surfaces was inconsistent
• Reliability concerns posed operational and safety risks during commercial missions

WISPR needed a LiDAR solution that could deliver consistent accuracy, extended range, low weight, and proven reliability, without adding integration complexity.

Why WISPR chose LightWare LiDAR

LightWare LiDAR aligned closely with WISPR’s engineering and operational goals:

• Significantly greater obstacle detection range
• Compact, ultra-light sensors suitable for small UAV platforms
• Seamless integration with GNSS and IMU sensor-fusion stacks
• Proven reliability for continuous commercial use

“Moving to LightWare was an upgrade across the board. In terms of range, accuracy and overall performance, it was a no‑brainer for us to move everything over to the LightWare sensors.” — John McArthur

LightWare’s focus on robust, field-tested LiDAR, rather than experimental autonomy features, made it a natural fit for WISPR’s performance-driven platforms.

From first use case to platform standard

Precise terrain following

WISPR’s initial LightWare deployment focused on maintaining precise sensor height over water. Downward-facing LightWare LiDAR, such as the SF20/C, enables reliable ground truth and stable terrain following for echo sounders and methane detectors, improving data quality while reducing pilot workload and risk.

Collision avoidance at speed

Following immediate performance improvements, WISPR expanded LightWare integration into collision avoidance systems. Multiple LightWare sensors are now standard on the SkyScout 2, enabling safer, faster missions in proximity to structures, towers, and complex terrain.

“The SF000/B actually increased our ability to detect obstacles. Now we’re grabbing obstacles a lot further, and the earlier you can pick up an obstacle and stop the drone, the better.” – John McArthur

Measurable impact in the field

233% increase in obstacle detection range

LightWare LiDAR extended obstacle detection range by approximately 233%, giving pilots significantly more reaction time at speed.

This improvement proved critical during demonstrations with power and tower companies, where safe, confident operation directly influenced customer trust.

“LightWare has been a no-brainer upgrade for us. Their sensors increased our obstacle detection range by about 233%. The quality is just outstanding.”
— John McArthur, CRO, WISPR Systems

Higher accuracy and safer landings

Improved downward-facing range delivered more stable altitude control, enabling:

• More accurate survey data
• Safer automated landings
• Greater confidence over water, uneven terrain, and construction sites

Seamless integration

LightWare LiDAR integrated plug-and-play into WISPR’s GNSS/IMU stack, requiring minimal software changes. Collision-avoidance and terrain-following algorithms were able to leverage LiDAR data immediately, accelerating deployment.

Reliability that builds trust

Reliability has been a defining factor.

“In four years, we’ve only had one faulty unit. LightWare offers the best quality from any vendor we’ve used.”
— Austin Ratcliffe, COO, WISPR Systems

Consistent performance reduces downtime, simplifies support, and strengthens WISPR’s reputation with industrial customers.

Real-world validation: “Try to break it”

During live demonstrations, WISPR actively invites customers to push their systems to the limit, flying near towers, buildings, and in adverse weather.

“In demos with major utilities and tower companies, they’ll fly full‑stick into a building, forwards and backwards, even in the rain — trying to crash it. So far, LightWare’s collision‑avoidance performance has never failed us.” — John McArthur

Thanks to WISPR’s exceptional aviation engineering, powered by LightWare LiDAR, their collision‑avoidance system has never failed in any customer demonstration. That reliability has earned WISPR deep credibility with utilities and industrial operators who value proven operational safety over theoretical performance.

Enabling the next step toward autonomy

WISPR views LiDAR as a foundational technology for future autonomy. Sensor fusion, reliable ranging, and robust obstacle detection enable drones to operate safer, faster, and with greater independence, even as regulatory frameworks continue to evolve.

LightWare LiDAR provides the dependable sensing layer required to move toward drone-in-a-box and other semi-autonomous systems without compromising safety or data quality.

Conclusion

WISPR’s growth from a university startup to a trusted industrial drone manufacturer underscores the importance of choosing the right technology partners.

By embedding LightWare LiDAR into every mission-critical flight function, WISPR has increased safety, extended operational capability, and delivered measurable performance gains for its customers.

Together, WISPR and LightWare demonstrate how proven LiDAR technology, thoughtful integration, and real-world validation can redefine what professional drones are capable of today, and enable the autonomy of tomorrow.
If you’re shaping the future of airborne operations, now is the time to partner with us.