ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Time-of-flight camera

A time-of-flight camera is a type of camera that measures how long it takes light to travel from the camera to an object and back. When the camera is pointed at an object, it sends out a light signal (like a lightbulb turning on). As soon as the light signal hits the object, it bounces back to the camera. The camera measures how long it takes for the light to go out and come back, and that tells it how far away the object is. This time-of-flight camera can be used to tell how far away or close something is.
Related topics others have asked about: