You gotta love creative people The ones who think of things like… converting your smart phone into a 3D scanner. Just like most folks have stopped carrying cameras, since their smart phone provides the pics they need, it looks like the same may soon occur for 3D scanning. Which will be pretty convenient if you see something you want to copy. (I warned you earlier that companies’ business model are about to be upended– with copying going on, like what happened with Napster.)
This new development comes from ETH Zurich, a school about which I never heard. With about 18000 students, it’s specialty is engineering and sciences. And, within that university is the Institute for Visual Computing. Dr. Marc Pollefeys is leading the group that is developing the concept.
The group has modified the smartphone camera (and developed software to boot) that lets us circumnavigate the object of interest to produce a 3D model. His group presented a series of papers that describe this exciting development at the International Conference on Computer Vision (Sydney Australia, December 2013). Amazingly, all of the computations are made on the smartphone!
Once the 3D capture is started- and using the phone’s inertial sensors- the phone determines which images are critical to its development of the model. (This is one BIG development- instead of using a much larger computer, the teams determined how to scale down this concept to work on a smartphone.)
These are not image-only captures. No, this system can determine vertical direction of the object and the absolute size- even with just the smartphone. They have been able to capture faces (3D portraits) and other everyday objects- complete 360 degree models. The models can then be printed via 3D printers- or to connect to a remote printer, thereby replicating the object.
As I said, things are not going to be the same anymore…
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That is wicked cool. Seriously, you know I love this new 3D tech anyway, but I can see a lot of artistic value (and yes I know other kinds of value as well) to something like this. Toys! I need new Toys!! LOL
Lisa recently posted..Bow Tie Kitty by Lisa Brandel
I can see so many great things with this, Lisa. Not even to ruin some company’s business (although, as I said, I know this will be a prime use).
You can make a 3D scan of a person- and then make that sculpture or painting. Without making them come back 42.2 times to finish the job.
You can make a 3D scan of a device or product that you know needs something else- and can them make sure your add-on works. (How about a spiffier dashboard for your car or better handle for that spade you use in your garden?)
Thanks for the visit!
Wait…are you saying I can stop carrying around a 3D scanner? Will my smart phone soon be able also to replace my car?
Oops, I forgot. I don’t have a smart phone. But if it could replace my car, I might find the economics of it irresistible.
David recently posted..Enjoy the Choir
Some of us do carry around scanners- because we need them for work. Of course, the Kinect is of reasonable size, but the smartphone may be even easier. (Of course, this is stated by the person who carries around a digital SLR and doesn’t use his smartphone very often for pix….)
You CAN replace your car- with public transportation and a taxi…now, the economics may suck and the convenience is lacking, but… 🙂
Thanks for the visit and the comment, David.
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