WhiskerBot

[Rich]

Bear with me a moment, I'm just thinking out loud here..

Are optical/laser techniques really the optimal approach? I can see
why the laser-scanning industry may have chosen lasers because they
can afford to use fancypants interferometers, but is trying to
replicate their techniques with cheaper components really the best
way?

Perhaps there are other approaches which can be taken to creating a
digital representation of a 3D object. Would a movable array of
physical sensors and a rotating platform be able to produce a higher-
quality image than a ghetto system of chinese laser pointers and
webcams?

R

[Mark Eichin]

Well, lack of contact is usually a requirement, which leads to sonar which is uselessly lowres, rf which is regulated, and optical... plus cameras (and projectors, for "structured light" approaches) are on moore's-law-like improvement curves anyway.

There's also a speed issue, contact approaches are limited to non-moving objects, plus the user will simply get bored :-)

[Rich]

Why is lack of contact a requirement? I understand that perhaps for
copying delicate artifacts, but for the type of thigns we'll be
scanning, why not just touch it?

I'm envisioning a system of brushes or whiskers with piezoelectric
sensors and a 'duino lined vertically next to a turntable.

This requires science, but I imagine it could be quite accurate.

R

On Dec 27, 4:06 pm, Mark Eichin <eic...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, lack of contact is usually a requirement, which leads to sonar which
> is uselessly lowres, rf which is regulated, and optical... plus cameras (and
> projectors, for "structured light" approaches) are on moore's-law-like
> improvement curves anyway.
>
> There's also a speed issue, contact approaches are limited to non-moving
> objects, plus the user will simply get bored :-)
>

[Trevor Whitlock]

Is this the idea that you are trying to think of?

http://www.philohome.com/scan3d/scan3d.htm

I would prefer not to touch the object that I'm scanning, because I
want to scan more delicate items. I'm just worried about the contact
while fine tuning the scanner.

-Trevor