Recently a number of technology manufacturers are keen to
develop 3D printing devices to be more easily applied in everyday life. One of
them is Microsoft through the Microsoft Research Lab. Microsoft Research Lab is
currently developing a 3D scanner application called MobileFusion. It provides
the ability to create high-quality 3D images in real-time on mobile devices.
This breakthrough is believed when it becomes a commercial
product will allow everyone to print three-dimensional objects anywhere. The
advantage of this technology lies in its ability to do the work without the
need for additional expensive components, but simply by using a smartphone
device.
"What this system effectively allows us to do is to
take something similar to a picture, but it's a full 3D object," said
Peter Ondruska, a Ph.D. candidate at Oxford University who worked on the
project while he was an intern at Microsoft Research.
MobileFusion application runs just like the camera
application in general, it will take pictures in RGB format and is claimed to
work better than the conventional 3D scanner method. In addition, it doesn't
require an internet connection or additional hardware.
With these capabilities, MobileFusion is expected will be
useful for users who can't reach internet connection. Moreover, the 3D object that's recorded by
MobileFusion has a very high quality so that it can be used as an object of
video games.
MobileFusion adopts the way the human eye works. Researchers
built an algorithm that basically turns the smartphone's camera into a 3D
camera that targets multiple objects.
This application will be exhibited in the International
Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality event in October 2015 and is expected
to be released to public shortly thereafter.