22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough

Re:22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough by hwillis on Tuesday May 23, 2017 @04:21PM (#14404958)

The laser in the article is on the order of tens of milliwatts. Even directly into your eye would not damage it. It would be painful, especially if it was in a visible wavelength, but the laser spot from a lidar is in one location for less than a microsecond.

In terms of direct heating, tens of milliwatts isn't even enough to really make a human-detectable rise.

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Re:22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough by kwhitefoot on Wednesday May 24, 2017 @05:42AM (#14408746)

> is in one location for less than a microsecond

When it is working properly.

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Re:22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough by hwillis on Wednesday May 24, 2017 @01:22PM (#14411701)

Same with elevators, microwaves, airbags, and in fact literally anything that plugs into the wall. 120 volts can kill you if you contact it.

The laser is eye-safe, meaning you can look directly at it continuously and be fine. Though, if you did, you would deserve injury. Kind of like sticking your hand in a blender.

The device will not manage to malfunction and miraculously shoot you in the eye from meters away.

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Re:22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough by jhall1468 on Wednesday May 24, 2017 @11:27AM (#14410700)

And self-diagnostics will know when it isn't.

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Re:22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough by jhall1468 on Wednesday May 24, 2017 @11:28AM (#14410712)

Would it even be painful at that wavelength?

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Re:22-Year-Old Lidar Whiz Claims Breakthrough by hwillis on Wednesday May 24, 2017 @01:23PM (#14411725)

No, although lasers can sometimes be dangerous without being painful. Even if they aren't, by the time it hurts it is too late.

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