3D Scanner Could Fit in Smartphones

Apr-08-15 A new silicon chip equipped with LIDAR sensors could one day let users take a quick 3D scan of an object with a smartphone.

Created by a team from Caltech, the key to the portable scanner is a small silicon chip known as a nanophotonic coherent imager (NCI), which is equipped with an array of tiny LIDAR elements. The LIDAR system uses a laser beam to scan an object and then analyze the reflecting light, which in turn enables the system to determine the size and distance of the object.

Currently, the proof-of-concept technology is limited to scans only 16 pixels in resolution, but the team believes it could be easily scaled up and eventually used in a range of applications, including medicine, self-driving cars and precise 3D scanning.

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[POPSCI.COM]
[CALTECH.EDU]

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