Forensics experts and road-accident investigators could soon revisit the scene of a crime without leaving their office, thanks to a 3D scanner that “paints” a virtual model of the area.
The hand-held scanner makes it possible to record a scene with millimetre accuracy and creates a computerised 3D model that can be navigated as if investigators were at the site, says Robert Valkenburg of in Auckland, New Zealand, which developed the technology.
The device consists of a laser scanner coupled to a digital camera. The scanner creates a 3D model of the scene, onto which images from the…
