Safety: 3D images in dangerous places

A joint project between the Missouri University of Sciences and the University of Missouri - Columbia has led to the development of a robot that provides 3D images of inaccessible or dangerous structures. The prototype, which required 400,000 dollars in funding for its R&D (via the Leonard Wood Institute), is a remote controlled robot equipped with an infrared camera and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology that sends millions of laser points that bounce off objects and relay an image to a portable computer. The robot relays 3D mapping of a room, even at a distance through a window, and in the dark. Once the image is defined, one can zoom on it as desired, and also view the image from different angles. This new technology could be used to track down terrorists in caves, and also to assist research teams in quake relief like in Haiti. Marketing is planned: the 200-pound (90 kg) prototype would cost 25,000 dollars per unit. via Missouri S&T