3D Copypod allows people to digitize themselves

A Chinese firm has debuted a geodesic dome-like structure equipped with 100s of DSLR cameras that can digitize a person by capturing their image from all angles.

These images can be combined with software to create a near perfect digital render of a person.

Though this multi-camera technique is not new, the Copypod’s controlled, uniformly lit environment offers it a key advantage: there are no shadows.

Shadows on the finished 3D render present a serious threat to the later usability of the scan, while a shadowless render can be dropped into any virtual environment.

Once the render is loaded, shadows appropriate to the position of lighting in the simulated world are added by the graphics engine that powers it.

The pod’s frame is collapsible, allowing it to shrink to photograph a small object or expand to capture a group of people.

(via Engadget)