What is lidar?
Lidar technology (acronym for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) is not new. In fact, it has been used for a long time for the study of geological and atmospheric elements.
It is a laser scanner that emits pulses of light to a target and collects the reflected signals through a sensor to make distance measurements and other advanced calculations, depending on the type of device in which it is installed.
The continuous and frequent emission of laser pulses (thousands or millions of times per second) from a Lidar system generates a cloud of points that can be complemented with digital information from other sensors to generate three-dimensional models, perform topographical surveys or measurement systems. speed, among many other things.
What does Lidar do on the iPhone?
What is new is the incorporation of Lidar technology in smartphone cameras, something that has initially occurred with the iPhone 12 in its professional version.
Its main contribution in this class of devices is to improve autofocus in night photography or in low light conditions, since the camera’s Lidar system accurately detects distances and contours of the objects photographed to produce more precise images.
However, photography is not the only use of Lidar technology on iPhone. This technology is part of ArKit, the augmented reality technology of iOS and iPadOS. Therefore, augmented reality apps running on an iPhone 12 or later Pro series can make use of your Lidar scanner to do 3D space scans, capture objects, measure object sizes, measure heights, or apply effects. of augmented reality.
Best Lidar Apps for iPhone
This can be experienced with applications such as the following: