In short because an optical engineer at apple checked that the emission was at a safe level, and if it wasn't they'd be shafted by lawsuits. Assuming it's a las

In short because an optical engineer at apple checked that the emission was at a safe level, and if it wasn't they'd be shafted by lawsuits. Assuming it's a laser, it'll be a Class 1. The emitter is short range, so the power doesn't need to be as high (though interesting to see how well it works outdoors). > Workers in hot environments, exposed to IR, developed lenticular opacities due to IR irradiance in the order of 80–400 mW/cm2 on a daily basis for 10–15 years That is really high. The original Kinect has an output power (at the emitter) of around 60mW. The expanded beam is safe to look at beyond a centimeter or two (I think less, actually) due to energy conservation. On top of that you're only being exposed for a second or two to grab the depth image, not 5 minutes.