A Scanner That Fits in Your Hand!

3D printers, capable of three-dimensional printing based on blueprints of various products such as shoes,
toys, and automobile parts have emerged as a blue ocean.
Against this backdrop, ETRI has developed a handheld 3D scanner that conveniently generates data required for 3D printing.

Furthermore, the same technology has been utilized in the development of a low-cost 3D scanner for mobile devices.
A miniature version of the handheld 3D scanner, the mobile scanner transforms mobile phones
into 3D scanners through a line laser that costs only KRW 10,000~20,000.

The research team’s success comes only a year after beginning the project.
With the development of the handheld 3D scanner, they have acquired novel technology in this field.

A Scanner That Fits in Your Hand!

Existing handheld 3D scanners were made available at affordable prices
by integrating foreign products with the structured light technology of KINECT.
In order to commercialize 3D printing, ETRI’s research team developed the low-cost handheld 3D scanner
by relying solely on domestic technology for the entire process, from camera manufacturing to the image processing engine.
This scanner is capable of retrieving high-precision 3D data regardless of the size of subjects.

When using existing 3D printers, general users have faced difficulties in producing or acquiring the necessary 3D data.
ETRI explained that the new technology has been made more accessible, allowing 3D data to be generated with a few simple motions.

The handheld 3D scanner is equipped with various technologies such as geometric correction between
multiple cameras and line lasers, precise real-time detection of scanner positions, and real-time preview of scanned results.