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If you have a second to spare, Panasonic can make you a 3D image

Enid Burns
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A 3D booth set up at the Panasonic Center in Osaka, Japan, may have upped the ante on 3D imaging and printing. The booth scans images by using 120 Lumix DMC-GH4 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras to take photos, in 1/1000th of a second. At that speed, this array of cameras can capture a subject in mid air, in action shots.

Panasonic created this “3D Photo Lab” installation to demonstrate the camera’s capability. It advances the concept of scanning people and objects and creating figures by making it possible for those figures to be in motion due to the speed of the cameras, DPreview notes. It’s a viable alternative to dedicated 3D scanners, using off-the-shelf cameras.

Subjects who get scanned in the booth can have plaster figurines of themselves printed, which costs around $450 per figurine, according to DPreview. Up to two people can be in the booth at a time. Cameras are set up around a cylindrical booth, from floor to ceiling. The 3D photo lab synchronizes the trigger within one millionth of a second of each other. More than 2 billion pixels of information are collected and processed.

Panasonic created a 3D photo booth at its corporate headquarters showroom in Osaka, Japan, using 120 Lumix GH4 cameras in a cylindrical array.
Panasonic created a 3D photo booth at its corporate headquarters showroom in Osaka, Japan, using 120 Lumix GH4 cameras in a cylindrical array. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The booth takes in information on behavior, hair and clothes, as well as action. Examples that take advantage of the fast speed-capturing action include a baseball player throwing the ball or a skier in action going down the slopes.

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Panasonic says that blind spots are taken from all directions to create a full 3D model. With other 3D image scanning techniques, subjects often have to be still for about 20 minutes. “There is no need for a long time still,” Panasonic says.

Premium 3D figures can be purchased through the Panasonic Store. The Osaka location takes reservations for arranging imaging and printing. Details are available here, although it’s in Japanese

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Enid Burns
Enid Burns
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Enid Burns is a freelance writer who has covered consumer electronics, online advertising, mobile, technology electronic…
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