Abstract
This paper explores the development of elastic LiDAR technology, focusing specifically on key components relevant to solid target scanning applications. By analyzing its fundamentals and working mechanisms, the advantages of elastic LiDAR for precise measurement and environmental sensing are demonstrated. This paper emphasizes innovative advances in emitters and scanning systems, and examines the impact of optical design on performance and cost. Various ranging methods are discussed. Practical application cases of elastic LiDAR are presented, and future trends and challenges are explored. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive perspective on the technical details of elastic LiDAR, the current state of application, and future directions. All instances of "LiDAR" in this paper specifically refer to elastic LiDAR.