LIDAR (short for Light Detection and Ranging) (http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lidar.html) sensors are the core sensors of a self-driving car. A LIDAR sensor basically measures the distance to an object by sending a laser signal and receiving its reflection. It can provide accurate 3D data of the environment, computed from each received laser signal. The main application of LIDAR in autonomous cars is mapping the environment from the 3D data, obstacle avoidance, object detection, and so on.

Some of the LIDARs used in the DARPA Challenge will be discussed now.