From up to a kilometer away, a Time-of-Flight (ToF) imaging system gathers high-resolution, 3-D information about objects that are typically very difficult to image. The new system sweeps a low-power infrared laser beam rapidly over an object. It then records, pixel-by-pixel, the round-trip flight time of the photons in the beam as they bounce off the object and arrive back at the source. The system can resolve depth on the millimeter scale over long distances using a detector that can “count” individual photons.
The primary use of the system is likely to be scanning static, man-made targets, such as vehicles. With some modifications to the image-processing software, it can also determine their speed and direction.
Applications include imaging man-made targets such as moving vehicles. The scanner is particularly good at identifying objects hidden behind clutter, such as foliage.
Also: Learn about Eyes on the Earth 3D software.
