A laser beam scans the object, typically like the electron beam within a television, i.e. from left to right, down from the top. Major advantages of this method are its high accuracy and its robustness to measure local objects. Disadvantages are the fixed resolution (depending on the thickness of the laser beam), which may be crucial for scanning small flowers, and scattering as a result of the translucent character of some objects, like thin leaves.

Hand-held laser scanner (left) and the produced image (right). Notice the different positions of the light source and the receptor, in order to detect laser shifts by the triangulation method.