Automakers are increasingly turning to LiDAR to give cars a sharper, more detailed understanding of the world around them, and Volvo is one of the brands leading that push. On vehicles like the Volvo EX90, the roof-mounted LiDAR unit continuously scans the environment by rapidly pulsing infrared light, building an accurate 3D map of nearby traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, and road hazards. This technology supports modern advanced driver-assistance features such as collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control.
But there’s a surprising side effect many drivers and car fans don’t expect: LiDAR can damage a smartphone camera.
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye, so you won’t “see” a LiDAR system working just by looking at it. However, if you aim a smartphone camera at the LiDAR module from the right angle and distance, the phone may immediately show heavy distortion in the viewfinder. A short clip shared on X demonstrates this effect on a Volvo EX90, where the camera image begins glitching with pinkish-purple speckles and streaks that appear to trail toward the LiDAR unit. In some cases, this kind of exposure can lead to permanent sensor damage, including dead pixels that won’t go away even after closing the camera app.
The reason comes down to how phone cameras are built. Most smartphones use CMOS image sensors, which are extremely sensitive to light, including infrared. LiDAR systems in vehicles can use powerful infrared lasers (often cited around a 1,550 nm wavelength). While the system is designed to send light out and read the reflections from objects far away, that concentrated energy can overwhelm a camera sensor when it’s pointed directly at the source. The sensor isn’t designed to handle a focused beam like that, and the result can be heat buildup or localized damage on the imaging array.
What about eye safety? That’s the reassuring part. Automotive LiDAR used on consumer vehicles is certified as a Class 1 laser, meaning it’s designed to be safe during normal operation. At this wavelength and power level, it’s not considered hazardous to human eyes under typical real-world use, and the light would be blocked before it could reach the retina. Cameras, however, are a different story because image sensors react to infrared in ways our eyes do not, and they can be far more vulnerable in direct exposure scenarios.
Practical takeaway: if you spot a car with a roof-mounted LiDAR unit, it’s best not to point your smartphone camera directly at it for a prolonged shot. Even a brief moment could cause visible artifacts, and longer exposure increases the risk of permanent camera damage. If you’re tempted to test it, don’t do it with a phone you rely on every day.
