Portable, high-res 3D imaging tech

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Portable, high-res 3D imaging tech

MIT researchers have improved a gel technology that can image microscopic features without expensive equipment, opening up applications in forensics, medicine, and other fields.

Developed by Edward Adelson, Micah Johnson, and colleagues, GelSight acquires surface textures and shapes by pressing a block of clear rubber onto them, revealing striking 3D details. It can even visualize a pulse when pressed on a wrist.

Originally presented in 2009, the technology has been improved to resolve features as small as 2 microns across and is being presented in a paper (PDF) at this week’s Siggraph 2011 computer graphics conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

When an object is pressed against the clear rubber, its reflective skin on one side distorts to assume the shape of the object. The skin is coated with paint that contains flecks of metal that are smaller than the features they resolve.


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1 Comment

  1. VERY impressive! I amazed to see the gel seep into such tiny cavities. Such a simple device too although I’m guessing alot of work went into the gel, and generating 3d images

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