Aug 10 2010
Andy Barry, a young research engineer at NASA Ames Research Laboratory’s Autodesk Innovations Lab has developed a new webcam-based scanner with 3D functionality. The device was developed by using a laser and a webcam.
3D scanner
The scanner fits perfectly with desktop fabricators such as Makerbot and may be utilized as a part of a copying device to enable users to replicate the objects in their homes.
Barry developed the first prototype scanner in three weeks, and later created a second model. This summer, he is using the prototype to scan the faces of people and then print the plastic models.
When an object is placed before the webcam, the red laser beam present in the 3D scanner sweeps across the object. When the object is too close to the camera, the laser beam moves to the side and provides vital information about the depth of the object, which is being scanned. A computer can utilize the beam’s position to evaluate the objects’ thickness.