This I think is an underrated tool for scientific visualization. I made a matplotlib add-on that will let you make stereogram plots of data, and use this cross eyed or parallel eyed techniques to see it in 3D. https://github.com/scottshambaugh/mpl_stereo
It’s a really good idea! Unfortunately not too much, since the error is largely from atmospheric distortion of the signal and so the error for two receivers close by would be correlated. You’d need the error to be uncorrelated to gain accuracy with multiple receivers.
> SpaceX determined they didn't need super tight tolerances and called it a day
Yup! This is my conclusion in the article - the landing box for the Super Heavy booster is 5x13x18 meters on each side, with 5-15 degrees of angular tolerance in each of the vehicle axes. So the margins are big enough that you don't need millimeter level precision for the rocket position.
My take is that it would probably be possible with enough effort, but there isn't an easy solution. And if you don't need it then the best part is no part. :)
I'd be very interested in the systems advertising that! I have not seen that even for stationary surveying equipment. I think it's also important to distinguish between RMS error which is often the better topline spec that companies give you, vs the 95% confidence error which is the more relevant one for flight reliability.
In the specific case of a docking-type manoeuvre presumably you only need the highest accuracy when you're getting very close to the target.
No reason you couldn't use RTK GPS for <10cm accuracy for most of the flight, then in the last few meters of landing switch over to to high-precision, short-range tracking - like optically tracking a marker on the grabbing arm.
For other specific cases - like bridge monitoring - there are reports of 2–3 mm precision [1]. Of course, bridge monitoring has quite distinctive requirements; a 5Hz vibration component and a 0.0001 Hz thermal expansion component. So there's a lot of potential to average over lots of readings to reduce noise.
I built a lasersaur of my own last year! I put together a project writeup[1], and have been doing a little bit of development on my fork of the firmware in order to significantly speed up raster & fill engraving, and to and put in some quality of life software mods.[2]
Unfortunately the original creators have abandoned the project, but fortunately it's completely open source so it's still buildable. Mine cost about $7k for the parts and all the accessories I had to get along with it, but I think that there's a lot of low-hanging fruit in someone going through and updating a lot of the more expensive parts in the BOM. I saved about $2k by doing so and put together a spreadsheet linked to from [1], but there's definitely still room to upgrade the steppers to something cheaper and more powerful, etc. There was a good discussion in the mailing list[3] a few weeks ago about whether it still makes sense in 2020 to build a Lasersaur. I'm personally of the opinion that if you want a laser cutter for the purpose of creating stuff with it, the best option is going to be getting a Chinese cutter, doing a few upgrades, and buying Lightburn as your software interface. But if you want the experience of building / intimately knowing the machine and find that rewarding in and of itself, go for it.
