Sep 6, 2016 | By Tess

Berlin-based 3D printing company Botspot has certainly been making a name for itself within the field of 3D scanning and 3D printing. In fact, the company, which in 2013 opened the doors of its first 3D printing store, has been a pioneer of 3D scanning and notably, the 3D printed selfie—which makers will know is a miniature 3D printed version of yourself. Their 3D scanning technology, which they’ve called Botscan, uses a set-up of 70 DSLR cameras which can capture a high-resolution scan of a person in just a fraction of a second (0.01 seconds to be exact).

For those more acquainted with 3D scanning and printing technologies, you’ll recognize the Botscan’s method as photogrammetry, a 3D scanning technique which essentially connects and stitches together images taken from various angles to create a proportional and highly detailed three dimensional model. What makes the Botscan so impressive, is that it can use its cameras to 3D scan your body more than 30 times in mere moments, and at an extremely detailed level. That small stain or wrinkle on your shirt will show up, the small freckle on your cheek will be clear, etc. What’s more, the 3D scanning system can capture up to 16.7 million different colors.

While highly accurate 3D printed selfies are very good fun, Botspot’s advanced 3D scanning capabilities have applications in a wide variety of fields, including the medical sector, the automotive industry, architecture, video game development, animation, etc. Since it’s founding, Botspot has actually formed a number of partnerships with different companies and institutions, such as the Ottobock Science Center in Berlin, which uses the technology to capture precise patient measurements to design custom prosthetics, and an unspecified German auto manufacturer, which has commissioned the making of a drive-through 3D car scanner—possible thanks to Botscan’s modular and adaptable nature.

That is, with the Botscan’s standard 70 camera set-up, anything within the size of 0.2m x 0.2m to 1m x 1m x 2.1m can be scanned easily. Anything smaller or larger than those parameters can still be scanned by either removing or adding more cameras. In terms of 3D printing compatibility, the scanner can generate .STL, .OBJ, and .VRML files from its scans, so any 3D printer that is compatible with these formats can be used to recreate the model in real life.

As the Botscan uses DSLR cameras to capture 3D scans, the technology is much simpler than laser scanning technologies, and though the price is less than a state-of-the-art laser scanner, a Botscan system will still set you back about $90,000 to $145,000, meaning that there is still much to be done before the system is widely available to consumers. For now, however, Botspot is offering its adaptable 3D printing system to interested businesses and parties. The technology was also recently presented at IFA in Berlin, a leading trade show for consumer electronics.

What would you use the walk-in 3D scanner for? Tell us in the comments below.

 

 

Posted in 3D Scanning

 

 

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Dang Thanh wrote at 6/5/2018 3:33:55 PM:

Hello, We would like to buy this Botscan. Please contact us with this email: thanhdangthcsqh.th@gmail.com Thanks.

dlshad karim wrote at 11/20/2016 8:40:58 PM:

Hello We are looking to buy a complete system multi camera 3d scanning system,please contact with this email for its price. Thanks dlaomar@yahoo.com

Daan Moreels wrote at 10/15/2016 6:48:43 PM:

Twindom doesn't use DSLR's and as a result quality is much Lower.

LUIS CEDENO wrote at 10/12/2016 11:58:41 AM:

PRETTY GOOD!

I.AM.Magic wrote at 9/7/2016 9:14:19 AM:

Will 3D portrait of family be a thing of the future?



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