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Scientist Creates 3D Scanner App For iPhone

Posted by timothy on from the end-platen-nudity dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A research scientist at Georgia Tech has created a 3D scanner app for the iPhone which uses the phone's screen as a light source to quickly capture digital 3D models of faces and other objects. The app, called Trimensional, can output directly to a 3D printer to make physical copies of objects, which a few people have already tried. An Android version is in the works."

11 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. Accuracy ? Poor at best. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There's a reason lasers are used to perform 3D scans.

    The iPhone screen is not a point source of light.

    Good luck making any parts which are more than crude attempts
    at copies.

    1. Re:Accuracy ? Poor at best. by Dr+Max · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Still, how long before pirating no longer applies to just data?

      --
      Rocket Surgeon.
    2. Re:Accuracy ? Poor at best. by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      Already happened.

      http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/the-next-napster-copyright-questions-as-3d-printing-comes-of-age.ars

      DMCA takedown notices applied to a reverse-engineered puzzle whose plans were posted online.

  2. Story Summary Omits Fact That It Barely Works by WarpedCore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm kind of leaning on the idea that the "anonymous reader" that submitted the article might be the author of the software.

    The software barely works. You need to lock yourself in a pitch black room for the thing to even remotely register the geometry correctly. Anywhere with any hint of light other than from your iOS device screen totally throws it off. Put your money into a more worthwhile 99 cent investment/scientific achievement... Fat Booth.

    1. Re:Story Summary Omits Fact That It Barely Works by Osgeld · · Score: 2

      its a 99 cent app for people who have 300$ + phones and 500$ + makerbot setups, let them act like retards, besides what do you expect out of a phone? George Lucas and Jesus making video holograms a the push of a button?

    2. Re:Story Summary Omits Fact That It Barely Works by timeOday · · Score: 2

      Although, with the right software, geometry reconstruction from stereo imagery would work a lot better than this iPhone app does.

  3. What wonders, with time for it to mature by sqrt(2) · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How long before advances in scanning and 3D printing will allow for any object to be analyzed and recreated so cheaply that it replaces traditional manufacturing processes? And then the next step is to cut out the scanning and just make originals from digital schematics. It's probably an inevitability that such an industrial revolution will happen, but I'd really like to see it in my life time; I'll likely live another 60 years even disregarding medical advancements so I think I just might. It's also interesting to think about the restructuring society will be forced into with such advancements. The hilarious parody of the music industry's anti-copying ad, "You wouldn't download a car." might somewhat resemble reality as the traditional power structures of capitalism, finance, and industry struggle for life in their death agony. In a world where every village has a Star Trek-like replicator, there's going to be a lot of pissed off robber barons and Shenzhen factory bosses.

    This is a pretty cool demonstration of the technology, but it's just a toy right now. In its mature state it's going to make quite a lot of people nervous and angry. If we thought adapting to an age where information; books, music, movies, ideas, can be replicated and distributed at virtually no cost, we are going to be in for quite the shock when the same paradigm (or one like it, as raw materials will still need to be mined, grown, produced, etc) is brought to physical, tangible objects.

    Yes, I would download a car...if I could.

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    If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
  4. Wrong, iOS is more popular by unassimilatible · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you count the iPad, iOS is kicking Android's booty. Besides, the people who buy Androids don't buy apps. They are cheap people who want 1-cent phones, or geeks who think everything should be free. iPhone owners buy way, way more apps, so developers go where the money is.

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    1. Re:Wrong, iOS is more popular by MBCook · · Score: 2

      Even without the iPad, iOS has a huge installed base thanks to the iPod touch. This app is limited since it needs the front facing camera (limiting it to the iPhone 4, newest iPod, and iPad 2), but it's still a massive number of potential customers.

      There is also the fact that the iPhone is easy to develop for, and has a huge development community. Android is supposed to be pretty good (and certainly head-and-shoulders above Symbian), but if you have a question about how to do something on iOS, it's pretty easy to find the answer and lots of sample code.

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  5. Re:Why only faces as examples? by garompeta · · Score: 2

    I could think of all kinds of interesting things to try to get 3D images of with this software, why are all the examples only of someone's face?

    Precisely, who in his right mind would scan a face?
    The first picture a normal sane male would take is his penis.

  6. Old news by smart_ass · · Score: 2

    Tried it months ago when I saw it.
    Kinda sucks for now.
    Pitch black room
    Sketchy accuracy ...

    Sure it will push people, which is a good thing.

    This however will soon be forgotten.

    --
    Ouch ... did I just say that.