Will automotive LiDAR hurt your eyes?

LiDAR is one of the indispensable sensors in self-driving cars. It measures distance by emitting laser beams, thereby helping vehicles perceive the surrounding environment, avoid obstacles and improve safety. However, many people worry whether the laser of LiDAR will cause damage to the eyes? The answer to this question is actually not as complicated as imagined.

1. How LiDAR works

LiDAR measures the distance of objects by emitting pulsed laser beams (usually near-infrared light) and receiving reflected signals. These laser pulses have low energy and are generally harmless to the human body. The main function of LiDAR is to provide accurate distance measurement and three-dimensional environment perception for self-driving vehicles.

2. Safety of LiDAR

The LiDAR systems used in most modern cars follow international standards and safety specifications, and the design has taken into account the possible damage to the eyes caused by lasers. The safety of lasers is usually evaluated based on the power and wavelength of the laser. According to these standards, the laser wavelengths used by LiDAR are usually in the near-infrared range (approximately 850nm to 1550nm), which has a low risk of eye damage.

– Laser Class: Lasers are classified into different “laser categories” based on their potential harm to the human body, with the most common ones being Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. Class 1 lasers are the safest category and are basically harmless to the eyes. LiDAR systems in modern cars are usually Class 1 or Class 2 laser devices, which means that they do not cause direct harm to the eyes under normal use conditions.

– Eye protection mechanism: When designing a LiDAR system, some safety measures are taken to reduce the potential threat of lasers to the eyes. For example, the emission angle of LiDAR is usually limited to a narrow range to ensure that the laser beam does not shoot directly at the eyes. In addition, the beam of LiDAR is also precisely regulated to ensure that the power is not too high.

3. Exposure risks and usage scenarios

LiDAR is mainly used on cars and is fixed on the roof or body of the car, and most laser beams are directed toward the surrounding environment rather than directly toward the human eye. Therefore, when the vehicle is driving normally, the probability of direct contact between the laser beam and the human eye is very low. Even when passing by the car, the laser beam is diffused rather than directly concentrated, so the risk of harm to the eyes is almost negligible.

– Risks during normal driving: In most cases, human eyes are not directly exposed to the laser beam of the LiDAR, especially when the vehicle is in motion. Even pedestrians will not be harmed by contact with the LiDAR, because the design and safety specifications of the LiDAR can minimize the laser beam from shooting into the human eye.

– Risks of prolonged contact: If you are very close to the LiDAR and look directly at the laser emission area for a long time, there may be some risk in theory, especially for high-power LiDAR systems. However, these high-power LiDARs are generally not widely used in ordinary commercial vehicles, but more in research or testing scenarios.

Summary: The risk of eye damage from LiDAR is very low

The design and use standards of LiDAR have taken safety issues into account, and the LiDAR systems used in the vast majority of cars are safe and will not cause eye damage. They follow international safety standards, use low-power lasers, and are usually not pointed directly at the human eye. Therefore, under normal circumstances, drivers, passengers or pedestrians are not at risk of eye damage due to LiDAR.