The laser obstacle avoidance device of the present invention includes an optical head which includes a laser source which produces a laser signal, crossed cylindrical lenses and through which the laser signal is transmitted, a transceiver including a receiving lens through which a reflected laser signal is received by the transceiver, a receiver and a line filter through which the reflected laser signal is filtered, and scanners which receive the reflected laser signal; and control electronics optically connected to the optical head, wherein the control electronics comprise scanner driver electronics, range processor electronics, power converters, and a display all which produce an x-y display of the terrain scanned by the laser signal wherein the X-axis is driven by a scanner position output and the Y-axis by range data. The system was designed to avoid hazards with emphasis simplicity and low cost. The device has been employed in the field to collect data from natural and man-made objects. A simple, single scan line, range discontinuity detection program has been written and tested. The next step in the process is to interface the output of the processor with driver's display indicating the location of the potential hazard for the operator's closer scrutiny.