Last year we saw a lot of new technology start to enter the public consciousness. One of the big ones was the usage of the Kinect in both the gaming sector as well as with enthusiast developers. For us techies or makers, we began to see it as more than just a game controller; it became a powerful tool for doing some traditionally very high tech stuff like laser scanning at a very low cost.
I have been mostly focused on how the Kinect can be used for computer control and scanning. I spoke at several events this past year, demonstrating its application to the AEC profession and what is possible with a minimum level of effort. Some of the examples I shared included a MIT research project with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a commercial service called Pix4D.
The feedback so far has been outstanding. Like me, a lot of people are seeing the real potential of this technology.
Plus it’s just plain cool.
I am confident we’ll continue to see more interesting developments around this technology over the course of the new year. In fact, just recently an Autodesk researcher highlighted some new and interesting uses of a UAV when combined with the power of their 123D Catch software.
Last year I was talking to a member of the radio control (RC) club I fly with about how we could rig up a Kinect under a helicopter to do exterior building scans. And now that’s almost possible too with a new version of a quadrocopter that can be controlled by an iPad and will have HD cameras hooked up to it, coming soon to local mall near you! Check out this video from CES.
Every year we see more and more developments and innovations that can, if used properly, make what was once impossible become completely commonplace. Probably the most encouraging thing to me about all the latest developments, though, is how much of it is being done by the “average Joe.” Today anyone can access and tinker with the technology, and I think we’ll find the results to be more interesting than ever before.
I’m already looking forward to this year like always because I’ve already had an opportunity to preview some of what’s coming and can’t wait to talk about it, to show how it can be used, and explore how we can tinker with it to do even more.
As for the GPS quadrocopter scanner, I’ll probably start in on my own this year, once I finish my RC jet modifications. Can’t leave anything standard, you know.
Recent Comments