This article actually brings to mind an old question of mine regarding short range infra-red rangefinders. Are these devices discriminatory because they respond

This article actually brings to mind an old question of mine regarding short range infra-red rangefinders. Are these devices discriminatory because they respond poorly to less reflective objects? If white men were not so prevalent in the development of these devices, would we see a greater emphasis on inexpensive sensing solutions that measure return from objects based on a human common denominator like density rather than the reflection of nearly-visible light?