Structured light sensors (SLS) sit in an unusual corner of paranormal imaging. They're not cameras in the traditional sense, nor are they thermal tools or night-vision devices. Instead, they map depth. By projecting a grid of invisible infrared dots and measuring how those dots distort across surfaces, they create a 3D model of the room.

When most investigators talk about an SLS camera, they're referring to a structured light sensor system based on modified first-generation Microsoft Kinect sensors, the version originally designed for the Xbox 360. Later Kinect models also exist in some setups, but they use a different depth-sensing method and aren't technically structured-light devices.

Structured light works by projecting a precise pattern of infrared dots into the environment. These dots are invisible to the human eye but very clear to the sensor. Because each dot has a known position in the grid, the system can measure how far away objects...