Real-time scanning

Hi there!
I am new around and I am interested if there is any in-time (on the spot) laser scanner like in the attached picture? Excuse my lack of knowledge in this field, but I would really need this kind of realtime scanning/tracking for a project.

Any help is welcomed!
Thank you!

you might have better luck in the laser shows section. you might want to hit up andy_con or elektrofreak

Just about any X,Y scanner with a speed over 20kpps will do real-time scanning like in that pic. If you want it to outline a form (like your body) in real-time, you'd need some sensors and software to interpret their signals and convert them into signals that the scan amps can use. It would be pretty complicated, and I am personally unaware of any commercial systems that do that.

I have heard of people using laptops with webcams for this, but I'm really not sure how all that works. Someone else here probably does, though.

you mean a regular x y scanner would do an aproximative body shape in real time?i mean the shape to be around the person and not somewhere else.

i am not interested in detailed shapes, just a "general" shape like in the picture.

i mean if the person is moving could de shape "follow"?

Yes, it is possible to so. Like I said, i know that some people have done things similar to that using a laptop and webcam as the sensor, and some software to process the images from the webcam and convert it into signals that the scanner can use..

thanks electrofreak!i really appreciate your help!

how would an x y real-time image look like? like in the picture i posted?

i would need it for a performance

It should look pretty much exactly like your picture. I'm fairly sure that the webcam method is how they made that picture..

Real-time image followers works, basically, in 2 different ways.

First one, the oldest, need that you wear reflective sensors on any joint or moving part (reflects IR and are neutrals for normal light) ..... then a fixed camera "read" the IR reflectors and the paths that they do when you move yourself, and an almost simple program track and extrapolate all the paths and reconstruct the figure, or use them for drive the graphic part.

The second, newer, is based on DPS and image elaboration specific software, and was made possible from the rising of the power calculation of moderns PC's (cause it need a very good program and usually a hell of PC) ..... it manage and analyze all the frames one by one, extrapolate and calculate the position of a previously selected image, and from these data can drive graphics, overlay different images in real-time, change entire scenes on-the-fly, and ofcourse also track your contour driving the galvos, with an opportune interface ..... it work directly on the selected images, so no more need to wear reflective sensors.

I've seen one of these on-the-fly scene changer machines, based on this technology (but much more high level), on a professional video show expo, and was amazing ..... as example, on the demo set, i registered on the machine my face, all the angles, then the machine was set for change it with another one, memorized before ..... no matter how much peoples was passing in front of the camera, each time i was passing, my image had another face, and the others not, including lips sync, and all the scene was delayed from real-time no more than half second ..... the only bad thing, was the price, 220.000 euro (approximatively 300.000 $ ..... not exactly "cheap", LOL)

But for your application, i suppose that a simple motion-detection software based on a grid pattern and a fixed camera is enough ..... after all, as far as i've understood, you just want to make the laser follow your movements, not change anything in the image, right ?

Thanks HIMNL9!

I need a cheap way to do that (as the one you said with the camera) for a performance.

I don't need detailed tracking, just general body shapes in real time, tracking actors' movements.

So, how should I do that?if there are more actors i suppose i have to film each one separately and interpret the data on computer?