As part of an effort to make 3D peripherals accessible to a broader number of people, Hewlett-Packard today unveiled a $299 turntable that makes it simpler to capture 3D images using the company’s line of Sprout PCs.
Eric Monsef, head of highly immersive systems for HP, says the turntable coupled with a new version of HP Capture software enables organizations to capture a full 3D image on any object. Once in the system, that image can then be modified or shared with any number of other users over, for example, email, says Monsef.
The HP Sprout system, which makes use of Intel RealSense 3D technology, can then be integrated with any local 3D printer or 3D printing service. HP as yet does not offer its own 3D printer, but has promised to enter that market by late 2016. In the meantime, the company is investing heavily in associated 3D systems technologies, including scanners, and has formed alliances with 3D printer manufacturers such as Dremel.
The HP 3D Capture Stage turntable automatically tilts 15 degrees to make sure that all aspects of any given object are captured.
Obviously, HP’s primary focus when it comes to 3D printing technologies will be on industrial, corporate and medical applications versus the hobbyist market that has sprung up around 3D printers in the last couple of years. Of course, as has been proven many a time in the last few decades, the next great idea is just as likely to come out of someone’s garage as it is a major research center.