Jet can travel by hand, backpack, vehicle, robot, drone, cage, or telescopic pole according to Artec’s current product documentation. That range is genuinely exciting because one sensor can serve very different site geometries. The mount still needs to be chosen from the work, safety plan, access, required view, and control strategy rather than from the most impressive demo.
This decision guide gives a field manager a way to shortlist deployment modes before a pilot. It assumes that the required accuracy will be demonstrated with project control and independent checks. Manufacturer specifications are planning inputs, and the complete sensor-to-deliverable workflow determines the accepted result.
Score the site before the mount
Begin with six constraints: human exposure, access width and height, route speed, required viewpoint, environmental geometry for SLAM, and regulatory control. Add the deliverable’s smallest important feature and the acceptable area of missing data. A mode that covers acres quickly can still be the wrong choice for pipe connections hidden below a rack.
| Mode | Strong fit | Main planning burden | Typical recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld | Rooms, short routes, details, transitions | Operator access and carrying ergonomics | Second pass or pole |
| Backpack | Long walkable routes and stairs | Clearance, balance, visibility, fatigue | Detach for tight detail |
| Vehicle | Roads, yards, long corridors | Traffic plan, mount rigidity, speed, blind areas | Walking infill |
| Robot | Repeat routes or restricted human access | Mobility, communications, recovery, autonomy limits | Supervised alternate route |
| Drone | Slopes, roofs, shafts, inaccessible volumes | Aviation rules, payload, obstacles, pilot and recovery | Ground or pole infill |
| Pole/cage | Voids, edges, overhead or protected capture | Rigging, stability, exclusion zone | Reposition from another access |
Handheld: maximum route judgment
A handheld deployment gives the operator immediate control of stand-off, viewing angle, and branch paths. It works well around interiors, equipment, doorways, stairs, and local details. The operator can slow near a difficult transition, lift or lower the sensor within the approved handling range, and close a short loop through familiar geometry.
The limits are human access and endurance. The current manufacturer weight for Jet is 1.57 kilograms, or 3.46 pounds, before considering battery arrangement, accessories, protective equipment, and the rest of the kit. A route assessment should account for walking surface, ladders, handrails, heat, task duration, and whether the operator needs free hands. No sensor benefit overrides a site rule requiring three points of contact.
Backpack: steady coverage on foot
A backpack can make long walking routes more comfortable and keeps hands available for normal movement. The format appeals to crews covering campuses, plants, tunnels, and multi-level structures. The raised viewpoint may see over low obstructions that hide a handheld path.
Check overhead clearance, narrow doors, protrusions, uneven ground, vehicle interaction, and emergency egress. The operator should practice starting, stopping, and turning without striking the sensor or creating abrupt unnecessary motion. A backpack also changes which surfaces the body blocks, so a pilot must review coverage close to walls and behind the operator.
Vehicle: distance with traffic discipline
A rigid vehicle mount can cover accessible roads, mine drifts, rail or utility corridors, and large industrial yards efficiently. Artec lists a manufacturer maximum travel speed of 60 kilometers per hour for vehicle capture. Treat that figure as an upper specification rather than a recommended production speed. Usable speed depends on the required sampling, surface, stand-off, route geometry, vibration, traffic control, and the team’s validation.
The mount needs documented rigidity, orientation, power, cable management, clearance, and inspection. The field plan defines a safe route, turnarounds, pull-offs, start and closure areas, and walking infill. Parked vehicles, median barriers, ditches, and façades can remain shadowed from one drive line. Opposing passes or offset lanes improve view geometry where the traffic plan permits them.
Robot: reduce exposure with a recovery plan
A robot may carry Jet into repetitive, hazardous, or awkward areas while the crew remains at an approved location. It can also repeat a planned path for monitoring. The team must evaluate platform payload, stability, vibration, grade, steps, debris, puddles, communications, autonomy boundaries, battery, obstacle behavior, and retrieval.
Remote deployment moves risk rather than erasing it. A stalled robot can create a new exposure if retrieval was never planned. Define loss-of-link behavior, exclusion zones, abort thresholds, manual control, and the person authorized to stop the run. In a regulated industrial or mine environment, site approvals and equipment requirements remain controlling.
Drone: viewpoint plus aviation
A drone can place the sensor above roofs, slopes, stockpiles, façades, or open stopes and can keep personnel away from some difficult areas. Artec lists supported drone platforms and flight-related capabilities on the Jet product page. Integration still needs a documented weight-and-balance review, secure attachment, power, communications, vibration evaluation, and flight test.
US operations under FAA Part 107 generally require registration, a remote pilot certificate or direct supervision by a qualified remote pilot, visual line of sight unless authorized otherwise, preflight inspection, and compliance with airspace and operating limitations. Flying near people, moving vehicles, structures, or controlled airspace needs specific review. Indoor flights may sit outside FAA airspace rules, while the facility’s safety plan, obstacle environment, and permissions remain essential.
Use mixed modes deliberately
One project can combine modes: vehicle for the corridor, backpack for sidewalks and station areas, handheld for culverts, and drone for a slope. The joins need overlap, control observations, consistent coordinate handling, and documented mode changes. Each segment should have a code in the field log and a planned completeness check.
The best deployment is the one the crew can operate safely, validate independently, and repeat under the site’s real constraints.
Run a paid-pilot decision gate
- Select a representative area containing open space, constrained geometry, a transition, and a critical feature.
- Set control and reserve independent checkpoints before testing.
- Capture the same area with shortlisted modes under documented conditions.
- Measure setup time, crew demand, route time, interruptions, coverage gaps, processing time, and checkpoint results.
- Inspect the actual deliverable feature, not only the full point-cloud view.
- Write the recovery and infill plan for the chosen mode.
A small pilot makes the tradeoffs wonderfully concrete. The decision matrix narrows the field; measured coverage, safety review, and accepted outputs finish the choice.