Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: jfox@netcom.com (Jeff Fox)
Subject: Re: Laser safety (was Question: Range finder in photocameras. How?
Message-ID: <jfoxD5741n.53q@netcom.com>
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Date: Thu, 9 Mar 1995 23:03:22 GMT
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In article <3jl5gq$lte@handler.Eng.Sun.COM>
            cmcmanis@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) writes:
>
>I built a really brainless triangulation system using a rotating laser
>pen pointer and a collimated detector. One drawback to triangulation 
>systems is that they are often non-linear. As the detected object gets
>farther away the the 'steps' between data points gets larger. Now you
>can compensate for some of this on a moving emitter system by designing
>the position mechanism to have much more resolution than necessary at
>close range. 

Is there any problem with eye safety using a laser pen pointer in this
way?  These lasers are getting cheap, and provide a small enough dot
to get pretty accurate triangulation system. :-)

Jeff Fox

