Livox Mid-360S vs Mid-360: Key Upgrades, Specs and Buying Guide

In January 2023, the Livox Mid-360 made waves in the robotics community with its integrated lightweight design, non-repetitive scanning technology, and highly competitive price point. Fast forward three years, and it has become the standard-issue LiDAR for countless academic and commercial projects.

Now, the Mid-360S is officially taking over. What new features does it bring? What should you watch out for when migrating legacy projects? And how do you update the SDKs and drivers? Here is everything you need to know.

What’s New in the Mid-360S?

Overall, the Mid-360S is positioned as a drop-in replacement for the original Mid-360. The mounting hole patterns, interface definitions, and communication protocols remain identical, ensuring a zero-cost hardware transition. Here are the specific upgrades:

1. Uncompromised Performance, Better Value
"Same performance, better price, and higher ROI." Core specifications—such as accuracy, FOV, point rate, and scanning patterns—remain unchanged, meaning existing users won't need to re-evaluate their system architectures.

2. Synchronized Updates for SDK, ROS Driver, and Livox Viewer 2
New hardware requires new software. Because the Mid-360S runs on the latest firmware, legacy SDKs and ROS drivers will not recognize the device. This is the most critical change in this release. Detailed update instructions are provided below.

3. Optimized M12 Connector Placement
The M12 aviation connector on the Mid-360S is 2mm shorter and shifted 3mm upward compared to its predecessor. While virtually unnoticeable in most setups, this tweak frees up valuable cable routing clearance in highly compact mechanical builds.

Getting Started: Updating Your SDK, ROS Driver, and Viewer 2

If you are migrating from the Mid-360, you must update the following three components to ensure proper point cloud data acquisition.

1. Update Livox SDK2
Legacy SDKs cannot detect the Mid-360S. First, perform a clean wipe of the old version. Run the following commands in your terminal:

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/lib/liblivox_lidar_sdk_*
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/include/livox_lidar_*

Then, pull the latest source code from GitHub, compile, and install:

git clone https://github.com/Livox-SDK/Livox-SDK2.git
cd Livox-SDK2
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. && make -j
sudo make install

2. Update livox_ros_driver2
Your ROS driver also needs an update. Navigate to your ROS workspace, download the latest package, and run the build script:

ROS1 (Using the Noetic environment as an example):

source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.sh
./build.sh ROS1

ROS2 (Using the Humble environment as an example):

source /opt/ros/humble/setup.sh
./build.sh humble

After compiling, remember to update the configuration file. Locate livox_ros_driver2/config/MID360s_config.json and update the LiDAR IP address to match yours. Finally, launch the driver:

source your_workspace/livox_ros_driver2/setup.sh
roslaunch livox_ros_driver2 rviz_MID360s.launch

3. Livox Viewer 2 Update
Ensure your debugging tools are up to date. Keep the following in mind:

• Download and install the latest Livox Viewer 2 client from the official website.
• Disable Windows Firewall (otherwise, device discovery may fail).
• Set your host machine's wired network adapter to a static IP of 192.168.1.50 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. (Note: The last two digits of the LiDAR's factory IP match the last two digits of its SN. If the LiDAR's IP also ends in .50, you must change either the LiDAR or host IP).
• Power on and connect the Mid-360S. Open the software—if the point cloud renders, you're good to go.

Conclusion & Purchasing Guide

The Mid-360 has proven itself as a reliable workhorse in both commercial and research applications over the past three years. The Mid-360S builds on that legacy, offering:

• Seamless physical integration (with just a 2mm shorter connector).
• Backward software compatibility (requiring only SDK/driver updates).
• Same performance at a lower cost, driving up overall value.

For existing Mid-360 users: Sticking with your current setup is perfectly fine. However, if you are scaling up or require new units, the Mid-360S is a seamless transition.

For new projects: The Mid-360S is the obvious choice. It lowers your BOM cost, and future software iterations will be optimized for this new hardware, making long-term maintenance hassle-free.

Ultimately, the Mid-360S is an incremental update that delivers massive value. It’s a seamless upgrade for existing users and an absolute no-brainer for new adopters.

Where the Mid-360S Shines: Core Application Scenarios

1. Autonomous Vehicles & Mobile Robots (Core Applications)

• The Mid-360 Legacy: Widely adopted across autonomous forklifts, AGVs/AMRs, and commercial cleaning robots. Its compact form factor allows for seamless vehicle integration, while the 360° FOV enables omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. An ultra-low 0.1m blind spot ensures no low-lying ground obstacles are missed.
• The Mid-360S Edge: Engineered with optimized interference mitigation, making it ideal for multi-robot fleet operations and harsh factory environments (e.g., high glare and heavy dust). It delivers cleaner point clouds during continuous, long-term operation, resulting in minimized localization drift.

2. Service & Specialty Robots

• The Mid-360 Legacy: Serves as the primary perception sensor—the "eyes"—for quadruped, humanoid, and delivery robots. Its lightweight design ensures zero compromise on robot gait and battery endurance, while the 59° vertical FOV effortlessly handles both ground-level and overhead obstacles.
• The Mid-360S Edge: Empowered by dual scanning modes, the Mid-360S excels in highly dynamic, crowded public spaces like shopping malls and hospitals. It offers highly accurate dynamic object detection, drastically enhancing human-robot interaction safety.

3. Surveying & 3D Reconstruction

• The Mid-360 Legacy: Thanks to its high portability, it has become the go-to choice for handheld scanners and backpack mobile mapping systems. It captures panoramic data in a single scan, significantly boosting fieldwork efficiency.
• The Mid-360S Edge: Delivering superior point cloud stability and lower measurement noise, the Mid-360S thrives in high-precision scenarios like heritage architecture preservation and detailed indoor mapping. It yields richer 3D model details with minimized point cloud registration errors (stitching errors).

4. UAV / Drone Systems

• The Mid-360 Legacy: Adopted by platforms like DJI agricultural drones to enable robust low-altitude obstacle avoidance and seamless terrain following.
• The Mid-360S Edge: Featuring an extended operating temperature range and enhanced vibration resistance, the Mid-360S is built for extreme outdoor environments, perfectly complementing long-endurance UAVs and autonomous vehicles in open-pit mines.