Qi Pan, a PhD student at Cambridge University Engineering Department, has made the entire concept of 3D scanning as simple as it can get with this demoed ProFORMA [Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition] project. The setup uses a regular webcam attached to a PC to create a reconstruction of the object in the user’s hand. The webcam is transformed into a 3D scanner which tracks the object from all angles as it is slowly rotated by the user in his hand, creating the 3D models of it. The models are created in real-time and even fast-moving objects can be tracked to perfection. Check out the video demonstration after the break.

Via: BoingBoing/Dvice496048