ARLI: Autonomous robots for smarter city maintenance
ARLI is a research and innovation project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). We are testing how autonomous robots and 3D laser scanning can help cities automatically detect changes in streets and public spaces
Read more about how ARLI works, why we use LiDAR, and what the project aims to achieve.
Learn more about the project
ARLI (Autonomous Robot for Laser Scanning and Inspections) is a research and innovation project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The project explores how autonomous robots and sensor technologies can support municipalities in monitoring, mapping, and maintaining the urban environment in new ways.
ARLI uses a self-driving robot equipped with a LiDAR scanner to continuously capture 3D scans of selected areas in the city. Over time, these scans are combined into a digital twin / reference 3D model – an updated digital model of the urban landscape.
When the robot revisits an area, the system can automatically detect changes, such as bulky waste, potholes, or other irregularities in public spaces. This provides an early overview of conditions that may require action from municipal maintenance teams.
LiDAR measures distances using laser light, creating highly accurate 3D models of the surroundings. The technology captures only shapes and surfaces – not people, faces, or personally identifiable details.
This makes LiDAR fundamentally different from camera-based solutions such as Google Street View, as LiDAR data consists solely of point clouds describing physical structures.
LiDAR is especially valuable in areas where GPS cannot be relied upon – for example under bridges, in tunnels, or in dense urban environments. In these situations, LiDAR gives the robot a “3D view” that enables it to navigate and recognize its surroundings without GPS.
At the same time, LiDAR makes it possible to identify changes in the urban environment that are relevant for municipal operations, from waste to damaged road surfaces.
ARLI aims to develop an affordable and practical method for mobile mapping that can improve how municipalities work with operations, maintenance, and planning.
The project is not an efficiency initiative in a narrow sense, but rather a way to generate new knowledge and new possibilities for data-driven decision-making in daily municipal work.
Project journey: How ARLI has developed
ARLI builds on earlier work and has gone through several important phases – from concept and permits to real-life testing in the streets of Aarhus.
If you want to dive deeper into the project’s development, you can explore the ARLI timeline.