3D Scanners

If you can 3D-scan it, you can 3D-print it – and Matter and Form has announced a super-versatile new way to do so. The Three system creates photorealistic, high-detail, full-color 3D scans of objects from coins to cars, and potentially beyond.

Consumer-grade 3D scanners tend to only handle small items, or scan with a low resolution. Now Fraunhofer has unveiled its new 3D scanner that uses infrared rays to capture objects and people in more detail, snapping up to 36 three-dimensional images per second.

BMW claims to be the first automaker to implement a robotic optical measuring cell that can create a digital model of a full-sized vehicle in half the time of previous efforts.

​When studying wild animals, having a 3D model of the creature would certainly help. That's why a University of Massachusetts Amherst team led by biologist Duncan J. Irschick created the portable, 3D-scanning Beastcam.

XYZ Printing's Handheld 3D Scanner is low-cost and convenient, providing users with a compact tool for producing full-color 3D models. Gizmag saw the device – which makes use of Intel RealSense tech – in action at IFA 2015.

HP has announced a free software update for its all-in-one Sprout computer that adds 3D capture capabilities. With this update, it can generate full 3D models of any objects positioned beneath the cameras that hang off the top of its main vertical display.

As if smartphones can't already do enough, soon they may be able to scan three-dimensional objects and send the resultant high-resolution 3D images to a 3D printer that produces hyper-accurate replicas. A tiny, cheap device called a nanophotonic coherent imager (NCI) edges this closer to reality.

A Taiwanese team has developed the Flux 3D, a cheap all-in-one 3D printer, scanner and laser engraver that, thanks to its modularity, also leaves room for further expansion. The device also allows users to create, share and download designs directly from their mobile devices via Bluetooth.

Intel has been working on a 3D scanner small enough to fit in the bezel of even the thinnest tablets. The company aims to have the technology in tablets from 2015, with CEO Brian Krzanich telling the crowd at MakerCon in New York on Thursday that he hopes to put the technology in phones as well.

A startup from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore hopes to give 3D printing more mass market appeal with the Blacksmith Genesis, a new all-in-one 3D printer, scanner, and copier boasts a revolving platform and handles all of the tedious and tricky parts of the process for you.

Fuel3D has release the first images of its 3D scanner. The scanner raised over four times its targeted amount in a Kickstarter campaign last year and was aimed at being the first handheld point-and-shoot color 3D scanner available for under US$1,000, although that has crept up a touch to $1,500.

Matter and Form will launch its long-awaiting 3D scanner in February. According to Matter and Form, the scanner is the first affordable and high-resolution device of its kind.