Laser Backpack Builds Instant Virtual Interiors [Laser]

A UC Berkley team has built an immense room-scanning backpack, brimming with lasers and cameras, which may map an interior and generate a 3D model. The prospective utility for services like Google Maps is very large, but additionally, laser backpack.

Using four cameras (pointing up, down, right, and left) and four corresponding lasers, the backpack measures the scale of a room, and then skins this shell with the photographic imagery. Location is detected via an inertial measurement unit-a similar instrument that guides UAVs and satellites.

Beyond the economic value of this tech to Google or Bing Maps, head researcher Avideh Zakho believes that, \” At some point, you\’ll have a bit pack of sensors to your belt. And, as you walk inside buildings, you collect data about everything. Every location within the universe, both indoors and outside will eventually be mapped and we\’ll have it all online. So, without ever going anywhere, you will find what everybody\’s interior appears like.\”

In the meantime, you know who feels awesome walking around campus?

This guy. [KGO-TV via Engadget]

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This post is tagged: backpack, Instant, Interiors, laser, virtual