The device, which is no larger than a shoebox and weighs only one kilogram, is capable of producing images – via a wireless connection to a laptop computer – in a matter of seconds.
Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena, Germany, the sensor has applications across many sectors, including medicine.
Explaining how it – the Kolibri Cordless – works, Dr Gunther Notni, IOF head of department, said: “It consists of two cameras with a projector in the centre. The two cameras provide a three-dimensional view, rather like two eyes. The projector casts a pattern of stripes on the objects. The geometry of the measured object can be deduced from the deformation of the stripes.”
Its usefulness to the medial profession was also explained by Notni: “Patients who snore often need a breathing mask when they sleep. To ensure that the mask is not too tight, it has to be specially made for each patient. Our system enables the doctor to scan the patient’s face in just a few seconds and have the breathing mask made to match these data.”
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Date Published: April 17, 2008
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