2015 was an active year for 3D technology in both consumer and industrial markets. With significant investments being made in 3D consumer scanning and a noticeable shift in interest for smarter inspection approaches, the industry is poised for an exciting transformation in 2016.

LMI Technologies 2015 Year in Review: Smart 3D Technology in The New Industrial Age from LMI Technologies

Growth and Innovation in the 3D Scanning Market

The growing awareness of what 3D printing can achieve has resulted in a similar interest in 3D scanning. This growth is expected to reach a market value of $3.7B by 2020.

The rise in demand for 3D scanning technology makes sense since generation of 3D point-cloud data is the key enabler behind advances in many industries driven on this data, such as reverse engineering, comparison of manufactured parts to CAD, as well as business models now driven by digitization such as dental, 3D printing of scanned objects, archival and entertainment applications, and so on.

Here are some of the key developments in 3D scanning technology in 2015:

• Orbbec released Persee, a device that combines a 3D depth-perceiving camera, with an integrated ARM computer that allows it to run local applications without an external processing source.

• Fuel3D created Scanify, an ergonomically-smart handheld 3D scanner for scanning, editing and sharing 3D scans of people and objects from your everyday world.

• MatterPort raised $30 Million in venture capital for their $4,500 3D scanning camera aimed at the real estate market for creating immersive virtual experiences.

• 3D Systems released a handheld device called Sense, which is 100% compatible to its Cube desktop 3D printers.

• FARO launched their FreeStyle3D handheld scanner.

As part of the growth in 3D scanning in general, 2015 also saw a long list of sensor companies working to turn your smartphone (or tablet) into a 3D scanner capable of capturing what you see in the real-world, then generating 3D scans and complete 3D models directly from your mobile device.

Here are a justy few examples of what industry-leaders are offering today’s consumer –– primarily for the purpose of generating shapies (3D printed selfies):

• Bevel offers a $50 compact laser generator that plugs into your smartphone or tablet for taking 3D scans using triangulation application software.

• Eora’s 3D scanning device plugs into your smartphone and can be used as a laser scanner for face modeling, 3D model sharing, and 3D printing.

• Structure Sensors provides a compact plug-in sensor for your smart devices such as tablets, offering 3D scans, 3D mapping, and mixed reality experiences.

• Intel® RealSense™ introduces the next level in perceptual computing with a  camera that sees more like the human eye, with the ability to respond to movement in three dimensions.

• Developer ItSeez3D releases a mobile 3D scanning app for Intel RealSense that allows users to easily take photorealistic 3D scans and create models that can be shared on social media or 3D printed.

Driven by the success of Kinect and built for simplicity, ease-of-use, interactivity and portability, these products are introducing the value of 3D scanning technology to the living rooms of tech enthusiasts around the world.

“Smart” is More Important than Ever

There’s been a lot of buzz in the past year around the terms “3D smart sensor” and “smart factory”. But what does “smart” really mean? Is it just more meaningless industry jargon?

We think “smart 3D” is the new playing field much like how 2D smart cameras simplified traditional component-based machine vision solutions a decade ago.

“Smart” refers to going beyond acquisition. Smart products take a 3D point cloud and manipulate this data to build greater value. For inspection, “smart” means measuring key features and making a pass/fail decision. For scanning, “smart” means stitching multiple views, filling holes, and building complete watertight 3D models ready to print. In short, “Smart” builds on proven 3D scanning engines to offer greater value (e.g. speed, all-in-one, extensibility, ease-of-use, scalability, communication, multi-sensor synchronization, mixing 2D with 3D, etc).

Which leads us to the term “smart factory”:

“The terms “Smart Factory,” “Smart Manufacturing,” “Intelligent Factory” and “Factory of the Future” all describe a vision of what industrial production will look like in the future. In this vision, the Smart Factory will be much more intelligent, flexible and dynamic.

Manufacturing processes will be organized differently, with entire production chains – from suppliers to logistics to the life cycle management of a product – closely connected across corporate boundaries.” (Heather McKenzie, The Smart Factory of the Future)

Manufacturers have already begun moving toward more efficient, flexible, scalable and networkable smart factories, and 2015 made it more apparent than ever that 3D smart sensors will play an integral role in powering this new industrial revolution. The two concepts fit tightly together to deliver on the promise of full factory automation in the future driven by robot handling.

In Retrospect

All-in-all, 2015 was a year of greater awareness for 3D scanning and its applications. Continued growth in the market, the increasing importance of “smart” sensor design to enabling further factory automation, and the notable rise of 3D technology for consumers is creating larger acceptance and further inroads for 3D technology in general. We look forward to seeing what the future has in store in 2016!