Rahul Koduri was frustrated with the digital scanning options available to his team, so he developed his own scanner with the features he required. Using a smartphone for the processing engine Koduri and his team at eora3D created an app and scanner that gives high precision scans without being prohibitively expensive. eora3D is running a very successful Kickstarter campaign for their scanner built using a green laser and anodized aluminum housing components.
The scans from eora3D are 100 micron resolution, and the class 2M laser operates at a 520 nanometer wavelength. The scanner’s range is 1 meter and an area of 1 square meter is captured. The app is available now for iOS and Android platforms and is user friendly, with Scan and Library being the only two functions. Cleanup happens within the app and the campaign page shows a few scans taken directly from their models and a few scans after cleanup. An optional turntable rotates the scanning object 360 degrees while the laser moves in a 60 degree arc.
eora3D is partnering with 3D HUBS, shapeways and Sketchfab to allow users to get their 3D scans printed by a huge network of 3D printers. This is a great way to give makers and hobbyists an outlet to get their components replicated. The scanner looks well built and the campaign page discusses the seven different iterations of prototypes and extensive testing that has gone into the product. The Bluetooth turntable is an option that backers can decide whether or not to purchase but it seems absolutely necessary to me.
Units are expected to ship in June 2016 and the campaign ends on November 18, 2015. It’s inspiring to see the number of backers willing to spend around $300 to add functional scanning to their toolbox. This is another great example of people with the maker spirit who wanted a product not available and built it on their own.