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I imagine that it has rangefinding capability, and throttles the output based on distance to the target.

It probably doesn't know and doesn't need to know whether the target is human.

That sounds reasonable, but the quite from OP says something completely different, it says "The laser rapidly determines if an unintended observer is within the nominal ocular hazard distance (NOHD) and immediately shuts off the glaring output to prevent accidental eye injury" - that doesn't sound like the mechanism you describe.

Sure it does once you run the original through a PR committee or two.

It sounds like the marketing speak a defense contractor would use to describe something that simple.

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