The Mystery Of The Black Circle On The IPhone Pro Is Solved: It Turns Out That The LiDAR Scanner

In the latest iPhone Pro model, there is LIDAR. (photo: dock. apple)

The users of the latest iPhone Pro model have finally begun to understand the function of the mysterious black loop located next to the camera on the latest iPhone model.

A recent Reddit post with 1,400 upvotes features a user surrounding the mysterious circle and simply asks, "What's this for?"

This circle is only found in the latest iPhone Pro models and some specific iPad Pro models - and is actually very useful, allowing some of the best apps and features of this device. The point located inside the camera array is actually a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranking) scanner.

In simple terms, this is a depth sensor that uses a laser to determine the extent of the object. It works by targeting objects with pulsed lasers and measuring how long the light will be back, allowing the iPhone or iPad to 'build' the 3D world model in front of it.

LiDAR technology has been used to reveal missing cities on Amazon by 'digitalizing' the forest canopy and discovering the ruins below, and also used in autonomous cars to'sensor' distances to other vehicles.

However, in the iPhone, this technology is used to enable advanced photography and additional reality applications that'sensor' the extent to which objects are located - and applications that can automatically measure a person's height, for example.

"LiDAR protesters measure the distance to objects around them up to 5 meters, work both indoors and outdoors, and operate at the photon level at nano-second speed," Apple said.

This allows apps like Apple's Measure app to measure the length, width, and area with very high accuracy - and even measure the height of people using LiDAR sensors.

"LiDAR's players are upgrading the Measure app, making it faster and easier to automatically calculate a person's height, while vertical and edge guides that help automatically appear to allow users to measure objects faster and more accurately," Apple added, quoted by DailyMail.

"The Ruler View display has also been added to the Measure app for more detailed measurements and allows users to save a list of all measurements, complete with screenshots for future use," Apple added.

This technology also helps the camera in the Pro model take better photos, especially in low light conditions, and allows autofocus to work faster.

There are also many applications that take advantage of this technology: Polycam is a 3D scanner that quickly builds virtual models of 3D objects and spaces using LiDAR sensors, and can be used to capture 3D objects for pleasure or room planning.

This technology also allows applications to reality to increase where virtual objects interact with the'real' world.

Apple says that LiDAR allows applications to, "To present virtual content interacting with the physical environment realistically, for example, by reflecting virtual balls from the real world walls and following the laws of physics."

IKEA Place, for example, uses added reality to place IKEA furniture such as sofas, lights, and book shelves in your home to see how well they will fit.