this post was submitted on 14 May 2025
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Technology

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[–] besselj@lemmy.ca 44 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

So how close can you get your eyeballs to the sensor? Even if IR isn't in the visible spectrum, that doesn't mean it can't damage your eyes at high power levels. If anything, its more dangerous because you won't notice it.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Cameras have an IR blocking filter and it still damaged the sensor. I don't know how they can consider it eye safe. I wouldn't want to be close to one.

[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Most cameras do not have IR blocking. This is how you are able to see IR LEDS with your phone, including remote control LEDS and security cameras with night vision.

Also, infrared is very safe and you are spreading disinformation.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 weeks ago

Every normal color camera has an IR filter. If they did not, the photos would be pink in sunlight. Some IR gets though the filter allowing you to see IR LEDs, but it's significantly attenuated.

[–] Drigo@sopuli.xyz 19 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The company specifically called out “close-ups” as the problem, meaning that our phones should be safe with distant shots

Also I think they're using lidar with a frequency of 1550 nanometer which can't penetrate the eye or cause damage.

[–] scintilla@lemm.ee 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

If you could find a source for that it would be comforting lmao.

[–] Tabula_stercore@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

An additional factor with these systems is that light around the 1550 nm wavelength band (common for optical amplifiers) is regarded as relatively low risk, since the eye fluids absorb the light before it is focused on the retina. This tends to reduce the overall risk factor of such systems.

And remember

To heat 1 cm³ of water by 1°C, you need approximately 4.184 joules of energy, as 1 calorie is defined as the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C, and 1 cm³ of water has a mass of about 1 gram.

So to heat your eye of 1cm3 in 1 second you need 4.2 watts of infrared to enter your eye. That sounds too much power for lidar, but couldn't find quickly how much power is emitted by lidar though...

[–] jam12705@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Never realized Laser Safety was such a wild read. It just keeps getting better as you go:

A pop or click noise emanating from the eyeball may be the only indication that retinal damage has occurred, i.e. the retina was heated to over 100 °C (212 °F) resulting in localized explosive boiling

[–] Drigo@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago

If you go to luminartech own website, on the home page, if you scroll abit down, they have a LiDAR 1550nm vs 905nm section and a downloadable 7 page pdf where you can read about it. It's of course biased because they themselves are making it, so bear that in mind.

[–] SW42@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

Good. I need one of those and make it wearable for the people wearing smart glasses.

[–] irotsoma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

So will it burn out all the cameras in Teslas' "self driving" systems, too?

[–] oyzmo@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

😂 perhaps speed cameras too?

[–] irotsoma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago

I'd guess those are too far away for the filters to be ineffective, unless they don't have the proper filters on them, which is definitely possible considering how bad most of the tech they use is. Of course, same with Teslas. I bet they don't have proper filtering on their cameras either. Lol

[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

L.I.D.A.R.: Laser iPhone Death & Android Ruin

[–] Whats_a_lemmy@ponder.cat 10 points 2 weeks ago

“Do not point a camera directly at the lidar,” one support page admonishes in no uncertain terms.

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball

[–] mvirts@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

I always wanted a car with a built in laser blaster. It's one firmware update away from accepting targeting commands

They made friggin cars with friggin laser beams on their friggin heads!