Researchers have created a new scanner that can improve everything from surgical procedures to our understanding of landslides.
The new scanning technology, created by engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo, is able to capture full-field 3D surface-shape data in real time by enabling 3D capabilities at every camera pixel.
The high-resolution technology uses novel algorithms to compute surface shape at the same frame rate as video with a measurement accuracy of approximately 0.1 mm and can capture images of moving or static objects.
“We’ve been able to measure the shape of a surface in real-time, whether it’s a rigid or a deforming surface,” said Jonathan Kofman, director of the University’s Intelligent Human-Machine Systems and 3D Imaging Laboratories.
The scanner, described by Kofman as a 3D video camera, can be mounted on a tripod or robot, or be hand-held. Used during surgery, it can take real-time measurements of an organ or tissues that may have shifted or changed shape since images were taken before the operation began.
Read more at University of Waterloo
Image Credit: University of Waterloo