This Microsoft tech turns any phone camera into a 3D scanner

Have you ever wanted to take a 3D image of something with your phone?

According to a recent article posted on the Microsoft Research project’s website by Allison Linn, there’s a new app out there that transforms any smartphone device into a comprehensive 3D scanner.

It seems like it was just yesterday that I first was introduced to 3D scanning as a desktop production method used for 3D printing, yet over the past two years or so, the technology has continued to evolve at rapid rates.

With the respective app, which has been developed by a bunch of scientists, iPhone and Android users will be able to create high-quality 3D images of objects in real-time in no time, just like you would take a normal photo.

Microsoft Research principal researcher Shahram Izadi told Technet the MobileFusion app could be used for 3D printer-ready use as well as to enhance a simple vacation shot, specifically citing the Eiffel Tower as something that can be captured and immediately shared with friends or family in 3D. Kinect recognizes users by comparing them to a 3D object that the camera has created and stored. The resulting models are said to be high enough in quality for 3D printing, among other things. All the work is done on the phone and doesn’t require extra hardware or even an internet connection, meaning you could be deep in the woods and still manage to capture a 3D model of like a rock or something using just a regular smartphone without a Wi-Fi connection.

Several apps have also promised that they can stick two or more 2D pictures of an object into a 3D model.

“However, that system requires a PC and other gadgets, making it hard to do any 3D scanning on the go”, Microsoft Research said.

The application will be showcased later this Fall at the global Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) 2015 event that will take place between September 29 and October 3 in Fukuoka, Japan.