LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, works by measuring the time it takes for a laser pulse to travel to an object and back. This time-of-flight measurement reveals the distance, and by scanning across an area, a 3D image is created.

This new tech utilizes a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD), an ultrasensitive detector developed by the MIT and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.