laser scanner
Quick Summary
A laser scanner is an instrument that uses a laser beam for various applications, primarily in information processing, measurement, and imaging. In supermarket scanners, a rotating laser beam reads barcodes on packages, relaying the information to a computer. Surveyors and construction workers use lasers to draw straight lines and project points onto distant objects for alignment and measurement purposes. Pulsed laser radar, a type of laser scanner, measures distances by timing the return of a laser pulse, a technology used to measure distances to the Moon and battlefield targets. Laser scanning confocal microscopes use a laser beam to scan a specimen, building detailed two-dimensional and three-dimensional images, particularly useful for studying biological structures.123
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