Advanced Scientific Concepts makes a LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) camera that captures enough data in a single shot to make a 3D model. The resulting model can be spun around and can be used to make measurements (as is done in the video above). I saw examples of images taken in smoke and fog; it was amazing how much detail their cameras were able to capture.
Advanced Scientific Concepts is a 14 person startup outside of Santa Barbara, CA. Their cameras sell for several hundred thousand dollars. The hardware (there’s a picture of the cameras after the jump) is used by many major branches of the government — especially the military.
Their ability to capture this much detail in a single shot is pretty incredible — one of the most impressive pieces of technology I saw at Sc-Foo this past weekend. The results remind me of Everyscape (Radar post), the soon-to-be-launched geo startup that is creating a 3D mapping portal out of 2D shots. The difference between their technologies is that Everyscape’s portal can be built using a mid-priced digital camera. This won’t democratize the capture of geo data like Everyscape may, but it has the potential to help a larger company get data faster.
ASC’s cameras:
