• beemikeoak@lemmynsfw.com
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    1 day ago

    Except for people just walking around getting irradiated at a high enough level to provide feedback for the taxi’s radar. I assume people will start getting cancer… The cancer levels might be funny like 98% on people’s left side or maybe only on people who walk on the sunny or shaded side of busy streets.

    I’d give it a few years for the cancers to start showing up.

    • lemmyposter212@lemmynsfw.com
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      21 hours ago

      They’re using lidar not radar, it doesn’t cause cancer, but prolonged exposure can damage your eyes because it’s basically just blasting IR rays 24/7

    • suigenerix@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      The sustained dose from a class 1 lidar is well below critical safety levels. You’re no more likely to get cancer from car lidar than you are from regular use of household LED lights. But sure, let’s just add lidar to the long list of things that people will irrationally scaremonger about.

    • silence7@slrpnk.netOP
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      1 day ago

      Here’s the thing: wavelengths shorter than visible light cause cancer. Wavelengths longer…don’t. They’re using the long wavelengths.

          • beemikeoak@lemmynsfw.com
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            1 day ago

            The Wavelengths used are 0.905microns to 1.55microns, while Class A, they are still lasers.

            If you happen to be carrying the right sort of material on your skin for example, the wavelength could halve or quadruple. That would locally irradiate you at UV or microwave.

            People looking straight at the sensor could get cataracts or irritated corneas.

            Its unnecessary technology exposing everyone around it to new unknowns.

              • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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                19 hours ago

                I mean if they’re going to misuse words, might as well do it with confidence

            • silence7@slrpnk.netOP
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              22 hours ago

              Let’s say it halved. That’s visible light, which at low wattage, is harmless.

              If it quadrupled, its still infrared. Also harmless at those wattages

              Remember here: youre dealing with something that is less harmful than visible light. So whatever fear you have must be much worse when it comes to things like daylight, indoor lighting, headlights, etc

            • scratchee@feddit.uk
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              1 day ago

              If near infrared (1000nm) can become uv with the wrong material, surely visible light from the sun can do the same and would become an even more dangerous wavelength? Or is this an effect that only happens to near-infrared? Ive not come across it before…

            • Seefra 1@lemmy.zip
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              18 hours ago

              Wouldn’t that sort of material also double the frequency of any other light source? Like a street lamp or the sun?