Time-of-Flight Camera

A type of camera sensor that measures the distance to objects by calculating the time it takes for emitted light (typically infrared) to travel to a surface and reflect back. Time-of-Flight cameras produce 3D depth maps of their environment in real time, making them useful in assistive technology applications such as obstacle detection for blind pedestrians, gesture recognition, and indoor navigation. Unlike stereo cameras, TOF cameras work well in low-light conditions and provide precise distance measurements at each pixel. Consumer devices like the Microsoft Kinect popularised this technology, which has since been integrated into smartphones and dedicated assistive devices.