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3D Modeling Automated by MEMS Pico-Projectors

3D models, which usually require tedious manual measurements, can now be automatically created from real-life scenes using structured light illumination (SLI) technology with micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) pico-projectors. The algorithms for applications from video gaming to medical diagnosis are being pioneered at the Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments at the University of Kentucky and commercialized by Seikowave (Lexington, Kentucky).

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3D Modeling Automated by MEMS Pico-Projectors
Today, creating an accurate three-dimensional (3D) model of a real-life scene�say of an Air Force base for a new video game�requires tedious manual programming efforts by experienced engineers. Seikowave, a Kentucky-based company, wants to automate that process into a turnkey real-time operation by adding a MEMS pico-projector and a digital camera. Using what is called structured light illumination (SLI), engineers project a known pattern onto the object or scene to be modeled. By analyzing the results with a digital camera, SLI algorithms measure the distortion of the known light patterns and then work backwards, using triangulation to deduce what the object's 3D shape must have been.

Lung patients with delicate conditions can have their chests scanned with non-invasive structured light illumination by PneumaCare.

SLI is already being used by a few startups companies, such as PneumaCare Ltd. (Cambridge, England) which uses SLI to gauge the breathing of patients with lung problems. Compared to traditional techniques, which can irritate delicate medical conditions, this diagnostic procedure is non-invasive. Besides medical measurements, Seikowave is also aiming its SLI engine at intelligent surveillance that can automatically pinpoint intruders, fingerprint scanners that can recognize identity at a distance without having to contact your finger, and automatic profilometry.

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