University College London Scientist, Simon Lewis was just minding his own business, mapping and measuring tropical forest trees in Gabon, when his 3D laser scanner picked up a friendly visitor.

We took a laser-scanner (LiDAR) to Gabon as new way of measuring trees. We accidentally shot this: Simon Lewis @SimonLLewis We took a laser-scanner (LiDAR) to Gabon as new way of measuring trees. We accidentally shot this: / Via / Via

The interloper, an elephant who goes by the name of Billy, was picked up using LiDAR, a laser scanning technology that's used in everything from police speed guns to classified military detection systems. It's also one of the tools that helps Google's self-driving cars navigate through obstacles and traffic, as you can see below.