Webcam Based DIY Laser Rangefinder

Webcam Based DIY Laser Rangefinder

Saw this today, I think via hack-a-day:

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~twd25/webcam_laser_ranger.html

Looks like an interesting project too! I cannot think of the use for one of these immediately but it looks interesting.

Another one of those projects I thought of lately is a monitoring system for my car. A couple of USB cams provide a 360 degrees view from the car outward. Record every movement around the car when it is parked and continually tapes to hard disk when driving. It would be cool to have the rangefinder record distances from objects.

As I drive around I see people who shouldn't be driving all the time. It would be cool to be able to record all their practices. And be able to show a best-off as a youtube video might also be interesting.

More ideas involve a licence plate resolver to a public database with names and other information about the licensee. This would of course warrant a search whether that kind of information is just publicly available and if it can be published without problems. We will see…

//Z