LiDAR, AR And VR
One of the most important new technologies introduced to the iPhone and iPad in recent years is called LiDAR – light detection and ranging. Available in the iPhone Pro and iPad Pro since 2020, LiDAR might sound similar to the iPhone’s Face ID technology, which uses infrared light to create a 3D map of the contours of your face. However, LiDAR can be used for more than just scanning your face.
The iPhone’s LiDAR sensor fires a laser at surfaces and measures the time that it takes for the light to return to the sensor. This enables the iPhone to measure distances within a scene with great precision. On a basic level, this can help to improve the autofocus feature on the iPhone camera. However, it also means that you can create highly accurate 3D ‘scans’ of rooms and other locations. This will be important for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and is already being used in apps such as Canvas for Homeowners, which enables you to create 3D scans of your home for decorating and renovation.