I'm not an expert on applications of black stuff, but having ultra black coatings can help get away with complex optical designs where you would have flares or loose resolution to scattered light inside your tube assembly. Also an optical design that's difficult to pull off mechanically may be easier to manufacture if you just use this coatings inside the tube and on the baffling.
Regarding VB and the MIT stuff, they are hi-tech and useful for optical applications like space telescopes.
Interestingly, the creator of Vantablack told me that there are also some export restrictions due to it's possible usefulness in stealth technology where you want to get rid of stray light.
>> Typically, the lidar unit can spot things from more than 328 feet away.
>> In this case, the company said the darkest of dark BMWs would need to be about 72 feet away before the lasers and ambient light register the moving black hole.
LIDAR is most effective at a distance from the license plate, headlight, and chrome reflective parts of a car. There is a laser absorbing product called VEIL made specifically for reducing these reflections.
