A boom assembly comprising a support arm and an object detection system mounted on the support arm, the object detection system comprising at least one laser component configured to:
- generate a laser pulse and transmit the laser pulse through a diverging lens assembly to generate a partially augmented light signal that is fan shaped in a major plane, which then passes through a converging lens assembly that compresses the partially augmented light signal in a minor plane to form a fan-shaped augmented light signal in a first plane;
- receive and detect a reflected light signal that is generated when the fan-shaped augmented light signal reflects off an object that is within a predetermined region of interest in the fan-shaped augmented light signal, wherein the reflected light signal moves through the diverging lens assembly in a direction causing the reflected light signal to converge into a focused signal;
- amplify and condition the focused signal to a conditioned signal when the focused signal passes through a reflected signal receiver;
- and
- decode the conditioned signal to generate a decoded signal when the conditioned signal passes through a decoder, wherein the decoded signal is for processing by a computer.