Identifying objects using near-infrared sensors, cameras or time-of-flight detectors

A remote sensing system comprising:

• a plurality of laser diodes configured to generate light having an initial light intensity and one or more optical wavelengths, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers, wherein the plurality of laser diodes comprises one or more Bragg reflectors, wherein the plurality of laser diodes is further configured to be modulated with a pulsed output with a pulse duration of approximately 0.5 to 2 nanoseconds, and wherein the plurality of laser diodes is further coupled to driver electronics, a first lens, and one or more safety shut-offs;
• a beam splitter configured to receive at least part of the light from the plurality of laser diodes that is split into a received sample arm light and a received reference arm light, at least a portion of the received sample arm light being directed to an object;
• a detection system comprising a photodiode array, wherein the detection system further comprises at least one second lens and one or more spectral filters in front of at least a part of the photodiode array, wherein the photodiode array is further coupled to a processor, and wherein the photodiode array comprises a plurality of pixels coupled to CMOS transistors;
• and
• the photodiode array configured to receive at least a portion of the received reference arm light at a first time and configured to generate a reference detector signal, and the photodiode array configured to receive from the object a received portion of reflected sample arm light at a second time and configured to generate a sample detector signal;
• wherein the detection system is configured to be synchronized to the plurality of laser diodes comprising Bragg reflectors;
• wherein the remote sensing system including the processor is configured to perform a time-of-flight measurement based at least in part on a comparison of the sample detector signal and the reference detector signal;
• and
• wherein the remote sensing system including the processor is further configured to perform the time-of-flight measurement at least in part by measuring a temporal distribution of photons in the received portion of reflected sample arm light.