Back in March, MakerBot unwrapped their latest product, but it wasn’t another 3D printer this time around. Instead, it’s a 3D scanner called the Digitizer, which allows users to take an object and duplicate it by scanning it, uploading it to the 3D printer, and printing it out. The company has announced that the Digitizer […]
Which do you think is more achievable – living in a wireless world, or to live in a paperless environment? I personally think that it will be more or less impossible to have both achieve their respective objectives, but the former – a true, blue wireless environment, might be a whole lot more possible. After all, Wi-Fi networks in homes as well as public spaces have become more and more abundant these days, not to mention the introduction of various technologies in recent years like Bluetooth and NFC that help to facilitate even more wireless connectivity between devices. Fujitsu intends to perform a wireless-paperless meld with the introduction of a wireless scanning function for the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 desktop scanner.
This new software update will ensure that customers will be able to wirelessly scan documents to a PC or Mac, helping expand the capabilities of its built-in Wi-Fi connectivity even further. As at press time, ScanSnap iX500 customers do already happen to be able to scan straight to their Android and iOS compatible devices, and now the next step is taken – one has the proverbial freedom to “cut the cord” from their computer without having to lose any of the ScanSnap iX500’s advanced scanning functionality, which would definitely make scanning at home or at the office a whole lot more convenient.
Thanks to the introduction of wireless connectivity, one is able to place the ScanSnap iX500 away from their computer, although I am not sure why one would put it in the kitchen. As long as it is in range, you will be able to scan as though it was connected via USB. This would pave the way for you to create PDF files at speeds of up to 25 double-sided color pages per minute (300dpi, color) and scan like you normally would, except that you do not remain tethered this time around.
Scanner Product Page
[ Fujitsu introduces wireless scanning function for ScanSnap iX500 desktop scanner copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Nakabayashi Co, a Japanese company specialized in sourcing and reselling product from around the world in Japan announced last week the IPScan for iOS, a compact and portable scanner for your beloved iPhone or iPad. In just 331x110x98mm and for 740g, the IPSCan is a compact 300/600Dpi scanner that works as an iPhone/iPad doc and that will immediately scan an A4 document in to a nice JPEG file from the comfort of your iOS device. Only compatible with iOS 6 Devices, the IPSCan also require a dedicated application in order to work, iSCan Pro, that seems to be offered for free to any future IPScan buyers.
Announced at around 25,000 Yen the IPScan (PRN-A01) will be available across Japan within the end of this month (July).
Most approaches to capturing 3D models of real-world objects involve multiple cameras that are rarely cheap, and are sometimes tricky to calibrate. The University of Glasgow has developed a method that ditches those cameras altogether. Its system has four single-pixel sensors stitching together a 3D image based on the reflected intensity of light patterns cast by a projector. Reducing the pixel count lowers the cost per sensor to just a few dollars, and extends the sensitivity as far as terahertz wavelengths. Real-world products are still a long way off, but the university sees its invention as useful for cancer detection and other noble pursuits. Us? We’d probably just waste it on creating uncanny facsimiles of ourselves.
Via: New Scientist
Source: University of Glasgow
Kodak as we once knew it has been shedding its identity piece by piece, and today it’s selling off one of the more familiar cornerstones. The one-time photography legend has made an initial deal to offload its Document Imaging division to Brother for $210 million through a stalking horse bid. If no one else makes a sweeter offer, Brother is likely to take control of Kodak’s scanning hardware and software in an agreement that’s expected to receive bankruptcy court approval by June. It’s the end of an era for a company that’s all too familiar with ending eras — let’s just hope it gets around to starting one of them in the near future.
Filed under: Peripherals
Source: Kodak
The iPad is a tablet that has achieved its fair share of accolades, and you can basically find an app that does just about anything you want to with a tablet on it. Well, peripherals for the iPad have not been entirely the most interesting market to look at, as majority of the peripherals rolled out for it tend to be protective cases and covers, including those that come with a built-in keyboard so that you have a pseudo-Ultrabook of sorts on the go. Well, the $149.95 iPad Document Scanner is certainly something else altogether.
In a nutshell, the iPad Document Scanner functions as a device that is capable of scanning documents straight to an iPad. This scanner will be able to feed pictures as well as documents automatically, up to 8 1/2″ x 14″ in size, before converting them to the JPEG file format, where they are subsequently stored on a docked iPad. This does away with the need to scan documents to a computer before they are transferred over to an iPad, as the device will save the scanned images straight to the iPad’s camera roll. The scanning progress will be shown in real time on the iPad, and you will be able to enjoy images which have been scanned at 300 dpi resolution, paving the way for you to carry preserved documents in their digital formats in clear, full-color glory. Whenever your iPad is docked, the scanner will take this opportunity to juice itself up as well.
[ iPad Document Scanner copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The many attempts at weaving biometric identification into mobile devices have usually focused on only one aspect at a time, whether it’s fingerprints or voices, and often for access to just the device itself. AOptix isn’t quite so narrowly focused. Its new Stratus system combines an app with a custom iPhone 4 / 4S case (the Stratus MX) to verify faces, irises, fingerprints and voices for grander purposes, whether it’s office workers checking in or entire national ID programs. The bundle should be more portable than most such alternatives, as well as more intuitive through its familiar interface. Odds are that you won’t be buying a Stratus kit to scan friends and family at home, though. Apart from the bundle’s lack of support for the iPhone 5 or any non-iOS platform, the Stratus software in the App Store isn’t an impulse purchase at $199 — and an emphasis on quotation-based case sales likely means you’ll be the scanner’s target, not its owner.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, Apple
Source: AOptix
3D printing seems to be all the rage these days, but what about 3D scanning? Imagine scanning a particular piece of jewelry that you love, only to have a 3D printer work out the scan into reality using material that are all a-glitter, of course, so that you have a cheap imitation of the real deal. Well, those who have watched Jackie Chan’s CZ12 would have certainly wondered whether such cool 3D scanning gloves actually exist in real life. Perhaps not, but what we do know is this, scientists have managed to come up with a 3D scanner that is capable of laser scan objects in 3D glory from a distance of half a mile away, now how about that?
This is made possible courtesy of a laser camera that was developed by physicists over at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. The laser beams will bounce off the target, and the time required for their return journey is measured in such a precise manner that it can detect millimeter depth changes despite being 0.62 miles away. The researchers have faith that the eventual 3D scanning range would hit 10 miles away with additional research, and perhaps miniaturize the entire shebang to a fully portable form factor before the World Cup happens in Qatar.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Smart Helmet Monitors Your Vitals, LifeSaver Jerrycan Can Purify 5 Gallons Of Water, 
3D scanning at a range of 0.62 miles? It just became possible, thanks to a laser camera developed by physicists at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. You can pretty much see how it works from the images above — laser beams are bounced off the target and the duration of their return journey is measured precisely enough to detect millimeter depth changes even at extreme distances. Speaking of which, the researchers believe they could pump the range up to 10 miles with a bit of extra research, and even shrink the blaster down to make it “fully portable” in less than five years. Who knows, someday it might even work around corners. But there’s a problem: skin doesn’t reflect the beams properly, which means people can’t be accurately scanned unless they also happen to be ringwraiths. As a result, the researchers seem slightly at loss as to what to do with the technology, with their best suggestions so far being watching the growth of foliage or tracking the movement of rocks. We’d try to think up some other ideas, were it not for the distracting and utterly irrelevant Nazgul v Wilhelm video embedded after the break.
Source: Heriot Watt
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