14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone devices already have some appealing capabilities inside, with some more of them set to arrive as soon as Windows Phone 8.1 begins rolling out to users out there, but it seems that there are also some features that will remain only projects for the time being.
One of them is support for 3D scanning with a phone’s camera, which is currently being researched in Microsoft’s labs.
The idea is not a new one, as Microsoft first unveiled details on the matter back in October last year, but it has returned to the spotlight this week.
According to Microsoft Research, the ability to scan objects in 3D is tightly connected with the 3D printing technology that started picking up pace last year.
On Windows Phone devices, 3D scanning would provide users with the possibility to easily turn physical objects into high-quality 3D models using only the normal RGB camera on the handset.
Building such capabilities into a mobile phone also means that more users will receive access to 3D content, given that they will actually be able to easily create their own models. The technology will also provide Windows Phone users with the possibility to 3D scan someone’s face.
At the moment, the creation of 3D content is restricted to professionals who own specialized equipment, but that could change in the not too distant future, Microsoft's researchers explain.
The technology could come to the masses in the next few years, although the computational costs for creating a 3D image are quite high. Thus, this process is performed in the cloud, while users will only receive the final result.
3D scanning could also open the door to new augmented reality applications, since things will seem much more real than before.
However, with 3D printers already becoming more and more popular around the world, the technology to create 3D models is seeing increasing demand as well, which could speed up the release process.
Previously, Microsoft was also rumored to be working on a 3D Touch system for Windows Phone, one that would allow users to engage with their devices without actually touching them.
The 3D Touch system has nothing to do with the 3D scanning, of course, but the fact that both of them emerged online in relation to Windows Phone suggests that Microsoft might indeed be preparing some futuristic features for its mobile OS. Stay tuned for more on the matter.
