Tag Archives: 3D scanner

Fuel3D brings point-and-shoot 3D scanning prototype to Kickstarter

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As a seemingly endless stream of companies work to bring the world its first truly mainstream desktop 3D printer, a number of folks are attempting to bridge a fairly fundamental disconnect: how to best help the average consumer get their hands on 3D models in the first place. Databases are a decent solution -- Thingiverse has a devoted community of makers working around to clock to create cool things for us to print out. Simplified software can work, too, but that still requires some artistic talent on the part of the creator. 3D scanners seem to be the most popular solution these days, from Microsoft's Kinect to MakerBot's lazy Susan-esque Digitizer.

Fuel3D is the latest company to take its entry to Kickstarter. The handheld 3D scanner is based on a technology developed at Oxford University for medical imaging purposes. Now the company is looking to bring it to market at under $1,000, offering full-color, high-res 3D scans through simple point-and-shoot execution. Once captured, that information can be exported for things like the aforementioned 3D printing and computer modeling. The first three folks who pledge $750 will get their hand on a pre-production model and those who pony up $990 will receive the triangular final version. The company expects to ship in May of next year -- assuming it hits that $75,000 goal, of course. After all, Fuel3D can't exactly print money -- yet.

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Source: Kickstarter

Photon 3D Scanner Unleashes the Power of 3D Printing

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Photon 3D Scanner

So you’ve got a 3D printer. Now what?

A number of projects have revolved around producing 3D printers that are affordable and portable so that anyone who wants one can own one. This is in addition to the printers that are already available on the market. Let’s see. There’s the MakerBot, the Gigabot, the RigitBot, the Form 1, the Cube… I think it’s safe to say we now have a rich selection to choose from when it comes to 3D printers. The problem now is getting templates for the stuff you want to print.

Not everyone has the technical skill or know-how to create CAD drawings or 3D models, and there’s only so much that you can download off the Internet. It’s precisely for these reasons why the Photon 3D Scanner is a godsend.

The Photon is basically a 3D scanner for the masses. It’s affordable (it’s cheaper than some tablets!) and it’s easy to use. All you have to do is unfold it, plug it in, and place the object that you want to scan on the scan bed. Press ‘go’, wait until it finishes scanning, and you’re all set. You don’t even have to own your own 3D printer because you can just take your models to Shapeways or Ponoko to print your stuff.

The Photon was invented by Adam Brandejs and Drew Cox, who have been working on the prototype for the past year. Presumably satisfied with the results they got, they are now releasing it on Indiegogo. All early backers discounts have been snatched up, but you can still make a pledge of C$399 (that’s about US$295) to get your very own Photon by August 2013.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ The Awesomer ]

MakerBot unveils prototype Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, promises easier 3D printing

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MakerBot unveils prototype Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner, promises easier 3D printing

Well, that was quick. Bre Pettis just started delivering South By Southwest's opening remarks and may well have taken the wraps off the biggest news of the show. Of course, we'll still have to hang out in Austin for a few more days just to, you know, totally make sure, but this really does feel like a doozy. As the MakerBot CEO puts it, "It's a natural progression for us to create a product that makes 3D printing even easier" -- but, let's be honest, few of those who don't have a vested interest in moving some 3D printers are running around calling the whole process particularly "easy." And while consumer-facing devices like the Replicator, CubeX, Solidoodle, et al. have gone a ways toward making the technology more accessible for laypeople, there's still a fundamental breakdown: the creation of models to be printed.

The maker community has helped on that front, as well, with MakerBot's Thingiverse serving as an unparalleled resource for 3D images, meaning that, once your printer's all set up and calibrated, you can download and print to your hearts delight -- but what if, say, you want to print up something that some kindly soul hasn't designed for you? You could learn a CAD program -- or you could invest in an industrial 3D scanner. The latter option has lead to something of a land rush of companies and individuals looking to break things wide open with an affordable, consumer-facing offering. And while MakerBot still seems a ways away from the final product, the company used SXSW as a platform to unveil a prototype of its MakerBot Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner.

Gallery: MakerBot Digitizer

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Texas Instruments brings sci-fi tech to life with DLP (hands-on video)

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Texas Instruments brings scifi tech to life with DLP handson video

We've come across a number of DLP-based pico projectors over the years and while these products are getting smaller, brighter and higher resolution, it's the integration with other devices that's really captured our imagination. Samsung's Galaxy Beam, which we reviewed last year, merges a 15-lumen nHD (640x360) DLP-based pico projector with a Galaxy S Advance. More recently at CES 2013, Texas Instruments announced its new Tilt & Roll Pixel chip architecture and demoed a handful of other DLP-equipped products live on our stage, including 3M's Streaming Projector and Smart Devices' U7 tablet.

Gallery: Texas Instruments DLP tech hands-on

Gallery: SmartDevices U7 tablet hands-on

The company recently invited us to play with some of these devices and to show us other applications in areas such as 3D printing, 3D scanning, optical research, medical imaging and even automotive. Some of this DLP-equipped tech, like the Interactive Center Console, shows where we're headed in the near future -- other products, like Christie's VeinViewer Flex, exist today but remind us of something right out of science-fiction. Take a look at our galleries below, then join us after the break for our hands-on video and more info on these devices.

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