14 DAY TRIAL // Having announced its 3D sensing technology back at CES 2014 (Consumer Electronics Show) in January, it was high time Intel managed to actually do something with it. As you may have expected, laptops and tablets are about to become the main market for it.
To make a long story short, Intel expects laptops to start trading webcams for 3D sensors by the end of the year, and tablets to follow suit in 2015.
In layman terms, this means that laptops with 3D sensors will become available before the end of 2014, maybe in November or December.
There are two sensors. The one meant to be used instead of the front-facing webcam can sense human movement, but the other, meant to be installed on the back of laptops/tablets, is more accurate.
It can be used to scan objects as far as four meters away, building a virtual model of the car, computer, vase, plate, human, or whatever else.
The 3D sensors capture both movement and color
You see, Intel wanted to give tablets, laptops, and 2-in-1 devices the ability to create accurate 3D models of anything in mere seconds.
It demonstrated these capabilities already actually, during the keynote it held at IFA 2014 on September 5, in Berlin, Germany.
The only reason we haven't already seen them in products is because there isn't much software that can use them yet. Even the program used during the keynote demo was still a bit glitchy, although it did work splendidly, building a full-color model of a man in half a minute.
Intel will release free software in the next few weeks, which will be used by developers to create apps for the sensors. Microsoft has already agreed to include the functionality into Skype.
Autodesk will also implement 3D sensor readings into its photo/video design/editing software, as will movie and game studio Dreamworks.
Intel's vision
One of the major applications that Intel sees for 3D sensors is landscaping and home decoration. The idea is that you could use a 2-in-1 device, tablet, or laptop to scan the inside of your house, or just one room.
Then you could go to a store and scan a sofa there, or other furniture. Software would then be able to accurately compare the furniture to your home, telling you if it would fit inside and letting you get a preview of what it would look like once there. The sensors would also let you play games in Kinect style.