3D Scanners

Intel RealSense 3D Scanner Yields Glass CES Busts

At CES this year, 3D printing was woven into the consumer world even further. In addition to a 3D Printing Marketplace with double the footprint of last year’s event, products from mainstream corporations were demonstrated to make 3D printing even more accessible to consumers. The biggest such corporation to bridge the consumer-3D printing divide was Intel, whose RealSense 3D camera was displayed in at least two computer brands. Also at Intel’s massive CES floorspace, attendees waited in line for eight hours just to get their hands on one CES souvenir made using a tablet with a built-in RealSense camera, according to CNET.

intel realsense 3D camera captures scan for paperweight

The 8-hour line ended in a 45-second performed by a RealSense-embedded tablet that captured a full 3D rendering of each participant’s head. The resulting scan was then etched into a glass paperweight in just seven minutes. The camera is capable of capturing extremely fine details, down to facial features and t-shirt graphics.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich told CNET, “RealSense is basically a set of cameras that include the ability through infrared and other depth-sensing capabilities to see everything with a depth perspective. Basically, I’m breaking up the world in very thin layers. That’s what [RealSense] does. It takes all of those thin layers and puts it into an image. It allows us to do a lot of things around depth. Now that I know I can change focus, I can measure distances and prevent myself from running into you. I can do all kinds of things with it.”

cnet 3D scan paperweight from intel realsense 3d

As you might assume, this same process could easily be translated to 3D printing and Intel knows it, having partnered with HP to power the company’s Multi Jet Fusion process.  The ability to 3D scan faces and household objects for 3D printed replicas is just one of the multitude of applications that RealSense 3D has.

Intel’s page discussing RealSense illustrates the future of mixed reality, in which VR tech, 3D scanning, and 3D printing are fused together.  On the page, the company demonstrates a number of gesture control features that will now be possible with RealSense, flinging fingers to control apps, etc.  Scanned objects and faces can be incorporated into games, design programs, and other software.  Then, modified objects or cool new designs can be brought into the physical world with 3D printing.  3D glasses add the final touch. In the video below, you’ll hear more about how this will all come together in Krzanich’s CES keynote from last year.