From the physical world to 3D in a snap (video)
Silicon Valley company Matterport is developing a consumer-friendly system to capture physical environments as 3D images with the use of a handheld scanner and software.
One day, capturing a physical environment and turning it into a 3D image will be as easy as using a point-and-shoot camera. Right now, technology like that can cost north of $100,000, and it's a challenge for businesses to get access. But Matterport CEO Matt Bell and his team are developing a patent-pending system that is cheap, fast, and consumer friendly. CNET visited their Silicon Valley offices for a look.
Bell said he believes the technology could be a game changer in a variety of fields -- from real estate to architecture. In the future he said he expects to see 3D capture devices in tablets, "so everyone could pull it out and do a quick 3D scan."