1. A method for estimating a physical parameter of an object, comprising: projecting one or more predetermined light patterns onto at least a portion of the object, wherein each projected light pattern comprises a plurality of light elements; detecting one or more light patterns resulting from an interaction of one or more of the projected light patterns and at least a portion of the object, wherein each detected light pattern comprises a plurality of light elements and is detected from a single location; processing, by data processing apparatus, a single detected light pattern to provide a three dimensional representation of at least a portion of the object by determining the three dimensional location of a plurality of light elements of the single detected light pattern; and using, by the data processing apparatus, the three dimensional representation of at least a portion of the object to estimate the physical parameter of the object.