Portable document scanners have existed for years, and you can even get models as small as a business card. The catch, however, is that you need to physically move the scanner across a document yourself, which often leads to mixed results. And that’s why Doxie’s new Flip is so wonderful; it’s basically a tiny flatbed scanner (about the size of a tablet) that doesn’t require you to move it at all.
     |
CT, or computed tomography, scans are to x-rays what 3D movies are to classic 2D flicks. But instead of being just some gimmick to lure patrons into a theater, CT scans result in 3D models that let doctors study internal medical conditions in amazing detail. But why stop there? Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have now built a monstrous CT scanner that can scan entire cars and even shipping containers.
| |
The Makerbot Digitizer looked too good to be true. It was a solid, compact 3D scanner that could replicate a solid object without much fuss and had a level of detail unparalleled in the home scanning market. Now it’s clear that this is much more than a compelling idea.
I saw the Makerbot in action yesterday and spoke with Makerbot CEO Bre Pettis about his experience building the entire system – from PCBs to case – in America and how it felt to be a manufacturer in the heart of Brooklyn. “It feels great,” he said.
The whole system is surprisingly light and uses Class 1 lasers and a special camera to gather a point cloud based on the object you’re scanning. You tell the system how light or dark the object is and then click a button. A few minutes later you have a complete object that you can modify, edit, or augment digitally and then print using almost any printer. It also exports files into Makerbot compatible .thing files.
A turntable rotates the object slowly so every surface is scanned.
The Digitizer will ship in October and sell for $1,400. Pettis promised that they would have enough on hand to meet demand and that his factory was working overtime to get the devices ready.
Paper jams are the most basic weapon in copier vs. human warfare, but a few models of Xerox copiers are stepping up their game. They’ve been very stealthily going rogue and secretly changing a few key details of the docs they’ve been working on.
| |
3D printing is more popular and accessible than ever, and printers are on course to get even cheaper soon. But printing is only one side of the equation; what about taking 3D pictures? There’s a convenient, handheld gadget in the works that could do just that, and way cheaper than anything else has before.
| |
Automatic license plate readers are the most widespread location tracking technology you’ve probably never heard of. Mounted on patrol cars or stationary objects like bridges, they snap photos of every passing car, recording their plate numbers, times, and locations. At first the captured plate data was used just to check against lists of cars law enforcement hoped to locate for various reasons (to act on arrest warrants, find stolen cars, etc.). But increasingly, all of this data is being fed into massive databases that contain the location information of many millions of innocent Americans stretching back for months or even years.
| |
Lomography has made sharing photos from a film camera a heck of a lot easier with its new Smartphone Scanner that’s finally available from the company’s online store. It replaces a desktop scanner and PC with a compact collapsible rig that uses your smartphone’s camera to digitize negatives and slides. More »
In an effort to streamline the process of scanning hundreds of millions of titles, Google Books engineer Dany Qumsiyeh has designed a $1,500 automated scanner from sheet metal, dissected electronics, and a household vacuum. It can chew through a 1,000 page odyssey in about 90 minutes, and you’re welcome to build your own since Qumsiyeh has made his Linear Book Scanner open source. More »
A group of researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a handheld scanner that’s able to read sheet music and play back a composition in real-time whether it’s designed for a piano, a guitar, or an entire symphony. So if it’s ever commercialized, wannabe Mozarts and Beethovens will always have an orchestra at their disposal. More »
The Epson Expression Photo XP-850 “small-in-one” printer is currently available in the U.S. market. It is a WiFi-enabled printer that adopts the company’s six-colour Claria Photo HD Ink Set (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta). The Epson Expression Photo XP-850 provides a scanning resolution of 4800ppi, and a duplex ADF for double-sided scanning, copying as well as faxing. If you are interested, you can purchase the Epson Expression Photo XP-850 for $299.99. [PhotographyBLOG]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
