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TECH
SHINY | ONLINE ‘TREP | GEEK | THE FIX
he HP Sprout ($1,899), the
company’s latest all-in-one
T desktop PC, unleashes the era
of affordable 3-D scanning—and
changes how you think about your
computer. Running Windows 8.1
Pro, the Sprout uses a 20-point
capacitive touch mat in place of a
keyboard; the mat can morph from
a virtual desktop to a graphics
slate to a second screen.
Atop the 23-inch HD touchscreen
is the Sprout Illuminator,
an LED desk lamp that doubles as
a projector (beaming interactive
images onto the touch mat)
and a 14.6-megapixel camera that
not only scans images and documents
in 2-D but captures 3-D
renderings of objects at the push
of a button.
| SHINY OBJECTS |
Scan and deliver
HP’s new Sprout reimagines the PC
Integrating Sprout’s scanning
solutions into software like
Microsoft Office 365 and Evernote,
this computer can save graphic
and industrial designers dozens
of steps. For instance, if they want
an image of a new widget to add
to a PowerPoint presentation,
they can grab said widget, put it
on the mat and capture a full-size
scan of it. They can also map it in
3-D just as easily.
Behind the new interface
is a high-powered computer
with an Intel Core i7 processor,
1 TB hard drive, 8 GB of memory,
webcam, memory card readers
and surround sound.
And yes, it also comes with a
keyboard and mouse.
—John Patrick Pullen
ENTER THE THIRD DIMENSION
THE SPROUT is among tools that herald the next evolution of 3-D printing
and graphics, as it does away with the need for expensive CAD engineers and
software. Now product designers can send full 3-D renderings of their inventions
to a 3-D printer to make additional samples or replacement parts.
But really, 3-D scanning has applications for almost any small business,
according to Brad Short, a distinguished technologist at HP and the inventor
of the Sprout platform. He cites the example of a restaurant owner looking
to make eye-popping menus. “They can scan actual entrées,” he says. “The
physical outcome of that resulting menu is very sophisticated-looking. All
the colors look good, the rendering is great, and it looks 3-D because there
are shadows.”
PHOTO © BEN ALSOP