International borders and high security sites could one day be protected by high tech virtual defences.

That's the plan of Palmer Luckey, the man behind Oculus virtual reality technology, who is now working on a way to secure America's borders from illegal immigrants.

The scheme would employ lasers, as used in self-driving cars, to detect the movement of people, drones and other unwanted traffic into restricted areas.

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Trouble-tainted Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey (pictured) left Facebook amid controversy, but is now reported to be working on a comeback involving a Lidar-based system to detect unwanted incursions by people and objects (stock image)

CONTROVERSIAL VR CREATOR Palmer Luckey last hit headlines back in March after being jettisoned from Occulus, the VR company he helped found and sold to Facebook. In September 2016, it emerged that he secretly funded a pro-Donald Trump group that mocked Hillary Clinton online, during the US presidential race. Troll group Nimble America also claimed it was behind a billboard in Pittsburgh that featured a caricature of Clinton and the slogan 'too big to jail'. But according to reports in the New York Times, Mr Luckey has been working with the Trump White House on the technology. It could offer a cheaper alternative to the controversial border wall between the US and Mexico championed by President Trump. Advertisement

Lidar, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, uses pulsed lasers to measure distances.

When light from the laser hits a surface, it is reflected back to a sensor which calculates the distance it has travelled.

When combined with infra-red sensors and cameras, it could be used to detect movement.

Specialist software would then be able to identify what has triggered the system, disregarding animals, birds and other harmless objects and flagging up incursions by unwanted people or items.

And the surveillance system could be mounted on poles, making physical borders like fences unnecessary and reducing the costs of construction.

Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Luckey said: 'We are spending more than ever on defense technology, yet the pace of innovation has been slowing for decades.

'We need a new kind of defense company, one that will save taxpayer dollars while creating superior technology to keep our troops and citizens safer.'

The surveillance system could be mounted on poles, making physical borders like fences (pictured) unnecessary. It could offer a cheaper alternative to the controversial border wall between the US and Mexico championed by President Trump (stock image)

HOW WILL IT WORK? The system uses Lidar, which uses pulsed lasers to measure distances. When light from the laser hits a surface, it is reflected back to a sensor which calculates the distance it has travelled. When combined with infra-red sensors and cameras, it could be used to detect movement. Specialist software would then be able to identify what has triggered the system, disregarding animals, birds and other harmless objects and flagging up incursions by unwanted people or items. And the surveillance system could be mounted on poles, making physical borders like fences unnecessary and reducing the costs of construction. Advertisement

Mr Luckey last hit headlines back in March after being jettisoned from the VR company he helped found and sold to Facebook.

In September 2016, it emerged that he secretly funded a pro-Donald Trump group that mocked Hillary Clinton online, during the US presidential race.

Troll group Nimble America also claimed it was behind a billboard in Pittsburgh that featured a caricature of Clinton and the slogan 'too big to jail'.

And in February this year, a jury ordered in that Facebook and creators of Oculus Rift pay $500 million (£400 million) to gaming software firm ZeniMax after being accused of stealing code from the company to develop the headset.

But according to reports in the NYT, Mr Luckey has been working with the Trump White House on the technology.

It could offer a cheaper alternative to the controversial border wall between the US and Mexico championed by President Trump.