If you’re into 3D printing as much as we are, then you’re probably aware 3D scanners are pretty expensive. We’ve seen the affordably-priced Sense 3D scanner, which retails for around $400, but a smartphone app can make 3D scanning even cheaper as you’ll be able to produce 3D scans straight from your device.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have created an application that allows an everyday smartphone to be able to capture and display 3D models, which can then be fine tuned a bit to then be 3D printed. The application apparently works with both indoor and outdoor lighting, and can even work in low-light conditions.
The application requires the user to point their smartphone camera at the subject and then move it around in order to capture it from a variety of angles. The smartphone’s inertial sensors are used by the application to tell just how far it’s moving, and is able to capture images accordingly.
The app is currently in the patent pending phase and its creators claim it can run on a “wide range of current smartphones.” If the app is as powerful as these researchers claim it to be, this could certainly make 3D scanning and 3D printing even more accessible.
Filed in . Read more about Apps.