Sunday, April 20, 2014

Microsoft demoes 3D scanner technology using Windows Phone camera


Microsoft demoes 3D scanner technology using Windows Phone camera
Microsoft Research is working on a technology which will scan faces using a regular Windows Phone camera, and print high quality 3D images using a 3D printer. The method of turning physical objects into 3D models is called 3D Reconstruction, and Microsoft is using the Skynet UI to make the whole process a lot easier for consumers.
Microsoft showed off the technology that runs on Windows Phone 8 at the TechFest this week. Three researchers from Microsoft's Asia Research team in Beijing; Rui Cai, Zhiwei Li and Jiawei Gu are working on the tech.
The video shows face-scanning using a Windows Phone handset, by taking a 360-degree picture of a person's head. The camera program prompt's you when and where to move, similar to the panorama-shot apps available on most smartphones. After scanning the face you keep the 3D representation on the screen and later connect it to a 3D printer to produce a 3D model of the person's face. 3D Reconstruction could be used to explore virtual furniture and room layouts, online retailers, and much more.

Microsoft released Blink lens app for Windows Phone 8 devices last year that allowed users to take multiple pictures in burst mode and select the best image among them. It is also working on 'no-touch' technology for phones, tablets and televisions that can be operated without needing to swipe them.
Recently, Microsoft and Computer History Museum have released the MS-DOS and MS-Word source code as part of the Historical Source Code Series. Both the source codes are available for download from the Computer History Museum's site.

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