Structure Sensor Mark 11 Printer

Description

But since its release in 2013, a lot has changed in the world of low-cost 3D scanning. Photogrammetry has become popular and smartphone manufacturers like Sony and Samsung are demonstrating that sensor-less 3D scanning can be done in real time. And desktop 3D scanners like the $1199 EinScan SE (Review) have become more affordable and can create scans of small objects with a lot more details than any depth sensor can provide.

None of these technologies make 3D scanning of medium to large-sized objects, or people, as effortless as a depth sensor but there are also downsides to this technology. The first is that depth sensors generally offer limited depth resolution, resulting in 3D models without much geometric detail. The second is that the infrared technology in most depth sensors makes it hard to scan outdoors, greatly limiting the potential of 3D scanning with a tablet.

With the announcement of the Structure Sensor Mark II, Occipital aims to fix these issues: the depth resolution has been greatly improved from 640×480 to 1280×960 pixels. On top of this, the scan range has been improved. You can scan objects from a closer distance (0.3m vs 0.4m on the original Structure Sensor) to capture more details of medium-sized objects or people. The maximum range is now beyond 5m (up from 3.5m). In combination with the built-in wide-angle lens, this allows better scanning or large objects and rooms. And the built-in IMU (gyroscope and accelerometer) promises to make tracking even more robust.