LiDAR
A sensing method that measures distance by timing reflected laser pulses, producing precise range readings or full 3D point clouds of the surroundings.
LiDAR (light detection and ranging) emits laser pulses and measures the time until the reflection returns, giving distance with centimeter-level precision. Single-beam units are simple range finders used for level measurement in tanks, people counting in doorways and parking-space occupancy. Scanning or solid-state units sweep many beams to build a three-dimensional point cloud, the input for autonomous vehicles, warehouse robots and AGVs.
Compared with cameras, LiDAR works in darkness and gives direct geometry rather than inferred depth, and it raises fewer privacy concerns because it does not capture identifiable images. Against that, it is more expensive, struggles with glass, fog and dark surfaces, and produces large data volumes that need processing at the edge. Many systems combine it with cameras and radar through sensor fusion, and smart city deployments use it for traffic analysis where video would be contentious.
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