Lasers

While cameras capture product information based primarily on material reflectance,

lasers and their sensors are able to interrogate a material's structural properties
in addition to determining differences in color. This structural property
inspection capability makes lasers ideal for detecting a wide range of organic and
inorganic foreign material such as insects, glass, metal, sticks, rocks and
plastic, even if they are the same color as the good product, and for separating
various materials at waste recycling facilities.

Lasers can be designed to operate within specific wavelengths of light, within the
visible spectrums and beyond. For example, lasers can detect chlorophyll by
stimulating fluorescence using specific wavelengths, a process that is very
effective for removing foreign material from green vegetables.[4]
Camera/laser combinations
Sorters equipped with cameras and lasers on one platform are generally capable of
identifying the widest variety of attributes. Cameras are often better at
recognizing color, size and shape while laser sensors identify differences in
structural properties to maximize foreign material detection and removal.