Privacy

You Can Take 3D Selfies with the Bellus3D Camera

Bellus3D is a start-up company based in Silicon Valley. They released the prototype for their Bellus3D Face Camera at CES 2017. As many have pointed out, this technology is both impressive and disturbing in how accurate it is. The 3D images it produces are similar to having a robotic version of yourself. Add this technology to AI tech, and we’re not that far away from the artificially intelligent humans in our favorite movies and TV shows.

Here’s how the Bellus3D camera works.

The Bellus3D camera is a device that attaches to your smartphone or tablet via a USB to produce 3D images. The camera can produce an incredibly detailed image of your face. But what might you do with a 3D image of your face? Well, once the phone has scanned your face, you can print out the file using a 3D printer. CES 2017 revealed that the result of this task could be a life-like mask of your face. As to what you do with the mask, well, that’s up for debate.

This camera is able to produce a 3D image by using 1.2 megapixel IR sensors, a 1.2 megapixel color sensor, and 2 IR laser projectors, in addition to a smartphone or tablet’s front-facing camera. The camera also uses two different technologies created by the company to detect and record 500,000 points on your face.

Here’s how to capture a 3D image.

In order to take an image, you need to let the device scan your head. To do this you’ll hold the device up (as if you were going to take a selfie), and slowly move your head from left to right. It takes about 20 seconds for the camera to produce a file of the image.

How might this technology be used?

Possible uses for this technology include gaming, creating cartoons, cosmetic surgery, and virtually trying out makeup looks, among others. One criticism of the device is that it could be used for malicious activities, such as faking someone’s identity during a bank robbery, for example.

Will this be available for the public to buy?

This camera will be available sometime this year. Unfortunately, it will only be available for a specific set of people, such as developers and partners — at least for the time being. Bellus3D is still working on the various ways that this technology can be used, and a way to release the device to the public. The retail price is rumored to be a few hundred dollars.

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