In-Situ 3D Scanning

Tuatara Systems is developing an in-situ 3D non-contact laser scanner for 3D imaging and reconstruction of objects. Unlike many other scanners, the Tuatara Systems scanner is meant to be used in the field instead of in a lab environment. This allows for a system that can be used at archeological sites, underwater sites, and field research sites without needing to remove the object or artifact to be scanned.

Though we are currently capable of scanning small objects (e.g. a skull), larger objects such as an entire shipwreck or complete room are possible with this technology.

The output of the Tuatara Systems In-situ 3D scanner is a spatially accurate point cloud and STL mesh that can be used to make 3D renderings, print or machine full to scale 3D replicas, or be used in computer graphics and CAD programs to make object measurements.

Much of the software behind the scanner is adapted from work done by D. Lanman and G. Taubin at Brown University and will be made open source under the MIT license when it is completed.

A brief movie of the process is available here. Right click and save-as for best playback since it is a fairly large file.