laser and structured light difference.

[SlonvLavke]

Not sure if it's the right place to ask, but hope you'll forgive me.
I had a discussion about on of the new 3d scanners Artec Leo if it can be caller laser or not. Or is structured light a laser, so I can call this scanner "Laser" or not?

 

[lasersbee]

Not sure if it's the right place to ask, but hope you'll forgive me.
I had a discussion about on of the new 3d scanners Artec Leo if it can be caller laser or not. Or is structured light a laser, so I can call this scanner "Laser" or not?

First... It would be a good idea to introduce
yourself in the Welcome section of the Forum.
Members will be more receptive to answer any
questions if they knew a little something about
about you....:yh:

That being said... That product uses VCSEL light
technology. It is essentially a Camera. The specs
are at the bottom of the page you linked to..
It does Not use a Laser...

Jerry

 

[diachi]

First... It would be a good idea to introduce
yourself in the Welcome section of the Forum.
Members will be more receptive to answer any
questions if they knew a little something about
about you....:yh:

That being said... That product uses VCSEL light
technology. It is essentially a Camera. The specs
are at the bottom of the page you linked to..
It does Not use a Laser...

Jerry

VCSELs are laser diodes though...

Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser

Not sure if it's the right place to ask, but hope you'll forgive me.
I had a discussion about on of the new 3d scanners Artec Leo if it can be caller laser or not. Or is structured light a laser, so I can call this scanner "Laser" or not?

Structured light is produced using a laser. Same thing the MS Kinect uses to do it's thing. The new iPhone X also uses this technology for facial recognition.

https://users.dickinson.edu/~jmac/selected-talks/kinect.pdf

 

[lasersbee]

VCSELs are laser diodes though...

Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser
https://users.dickinson.edu/~jmac/selected-talks/kinect.pdf

I stand corrected... Thanks.
No where on that Doc he linked to did they use
the word Laser...

Jerry

 

[diachi]

I stand corrected... Thanks.
No where on that Doc he linked to did they use
the word Laser...

Jerry

Nope, doesn't seem to. I knew it because I've read about structured light before and could infer it from that.

Plus the VCSEL thing.

 

[Benm]

Well, yeah, as it's name implies a VCSEL is a laser.

I think in this application it's not used to produce a narrow beam of light as most lasers are, but as a monochromatic, coherent light source, that produce 'speckle' when illuminating the target, and i speculate that the speckle is somehow used to more accurately gauge the distance from scanner to subject details.

 

[dYankee]

Well, yeah, as it's name implies a VCSEL is a laser.

I think in this application it's not used to produce a narrow beam of light as most lasers are, but as a monochromatic, coherent light source, that produce 'speckle' when illuminating the target, and i speculate that the speckle is somehow used to more accurately gauge the distance from scanner to subject details.

Good info. I thought they are good for narrow beams.

 

[paul1598419]

I got a laugh at some of the photos they used to try to sell this $25,800 device. The dead guy on the floor and the two imitating a medical setting as if they guy in the lab coat was an actual physician. But, no doubt it is laser tech.

 

[Benm]

I have no idea on how good this product is at any aspect of operation, but the principe of operation is pretty old and proven.

I supposed the most widely known consumer product that uses is is the kinect camera for the xbox, which produces a 3d image combining a normal camera with one of these structured light scanners, albeit at very low resolution for the latter. This system doesn't need to be accurate though as it mostly just needs to detect motion (relative distance) like seeing if you are moving your arm or leg towards or away from the device, not it's precise position.

Industrially much more accurate systems do exist however, which are also used in quality control procedures to see if a product meets it requirements in terms of dimensions to a pretty accurate degree.

It's all laser technology though, even the kinect one afaik: it kind of has to be as it relies on measuring interference patterns which requires a coherent light source, and an IR laser would simply be the -cheapest- solution for that if you're building something like a game controller.