Occipital’s Structure Sensor: It’s like a Kinect for your iPad

Microsoft’s Kinect may have brought 3D gestures to mainstream consumers but it’s certainly not a mobile device. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a similar experience for a tablet or a phone? Occipital thinks so: It has a Kickstarter project for its Structure Sensor that far surpassed its $ 100,000 funding goal in under 24 hours.

iPad sensor

The Structure Sensor is best equipped to work with Apple’s iPad tablet but can also interface with Android devices. The small sensor has dual Infrared (IR) sensors and a traditional camera. With those components, it can capture a 3D view of any space or object. Check it out in the video for a full description and a few potential use cases:

The small sensor connects to an iPad through a mounting bracket and the tablet’s Lightning port. Internal batteries mean the sensor won’t drain your tablet’s battery; the sensor should run for up to 4 hours continuously with up to 1,000 hours of stand-by time. The pair of IR emitters and the camera are calibrated with a range of 40 centimeters to 3.5 meters.

occipital sensor range

While the Structure Sensor comes with some demonstration apps, the product is really targeted towards developers who can use the SDK to create apps taking advantage of the product. Essentially, Occipital is trying to launch the sensor as a platform and hopes to see programmers create useful apps. So this isn’t one I’ll personally be backing although I love the concept.

occipital sensor AR

Early birds can still get in on the ground floor with a $ 329 pledge but that will soon go up to $ 349. Occipital expects to deliver the Structure Sensor by this February.

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