In the last year we have seen some tremendous progress within the field of 3D scanning. Perhaps initially stimulated by the increasing popularity of 3D printing, 3D scanning technology is progressing at an extremely rapid 
pace. Google is reportedly working on smartphones capable of mapping their environments in 3D, called Project Tango, and it is likely that in the future nearly every smartphone and tablet will have the capabilities to do the same. This will in turn lead to a more robust 3D printing market, as the number of applicable uses for printers rise.
Ecapture, a company based in Mérida Spain, today unveiled their own tablet with extensive 3D scanning and measurement capabilities, called the EyesMap. Unlike the typical tablet you and I are used to, this device is made primarily as a measuring and 3D scanning tool.
The EyesMap tablet features an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and runs on the Windows’ 8 operating system. In addition, it features two rear Sony 13 megapixel cameras, a depth sensor, GPS system, and an inertia system. This allows its users to easily measure their coordinates, distances between objects, volumes of objects, surface sizes, and more, all via the integrated augmented reality interface on the screen. Below you can see one of several different augmented reality measurement applications.
This isn’t were it ends however. The main capabilities are 3D scanning. This device will allow for the scanning of anything from a tiny insect, to the Brooklyn Bridge. The data collected from a scanned object can then easily be sent to a 3D printer to make a copy, or a miniature version of it. Developers will also have the ability to create their own programs for a variety of applications, utilizing the tablet’s scanning and measurement capabilities.
“The EyesMap project is developed under Windows and it will have a space for developers who wish to realize their own applications for any specialty; this instrument is intended to be very useful for architects, archaeologists, civil engineers, topographers, industrial engineers, as well as all other professionals in arts, medicine video games, security, criminology, etc,” stated the company.
A price point has yet to be announced, and the company expects to launch the EyesMap tablet sometime in the beginning of 2015. More details can be found at the Ecapture website. Let us know what you think about this new 3D scanning tablet. What uses will it be good for, and what price do you feel it is worth? Let us know in the EyesMap forum thread at 3DPB.com. Check out the videos below, provided by the company, showing off some of the tablet’s features.
