Lowe’s LiDAR does the measuring

Just in time for a new year of DIY projects, Lowe’s announced the upcoming launch of Measure Your Space, an intuitive, end-to-end room scanning, measurement and estimate experience in the firm’s iOS app.

This new tech, with a planned commercial beta launch before end of Q1 ’22 on select iPhones and iPads, the firm said, is a glimpse into what the retailer termed its vision for the future.

“Home improvement can be complex, but at Lowe’s, we're investing in emerging technologies like LiDAR, AI and mixed reality to make home improvement simple and intuitive,” said Seemantini Godbole, Lowe’s executive vice president and chief information officer.

Few home improvement projects can move forward without data about a home’s space, the company noted, which can be tough to gather.

“We see a future in which the devices customers already own can sense, understand and compile information about their home, putting it in their hands the moment they need it. We call this future spatial commerce, and we’re excited to bring it to our customers,” said Godbole.

iPhones and iPads with the LiDAR scanner, the company noted, will use purpose-built sensors and software to sense depth and map dimensions of a space and the objects in it.

The retailer said its customers will be able to access the feature simply by pressing the Measure Your Space button on the product detail page of select flooring products in the firm’s iOS app.

The app will guide them to scan a room, automatically generating a floor plan, room measurements and a personalized estimate. They will be able to access this information in their app from anywhere, whether that's on their couch or in a store.

Measure Your Space will be available end of Q1 next year in the form of a commercial beta launch available to iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max and iPad Pro users via the Lowe’s iOS app, the company indicated.