RWB/Hand Scanner

Project Proposal

Formal Definition

We need a handheld laser scanner for suitable for medical use. This includes intra-oral use, along with digitizing the stumps of amputated legs for prosthetic fitting, etc.

Motivation

It is technically feasible for a RepRap-type design team to do this, and release it under the GPL. There is demand.

EDIT: Elaborate here.  Short paragraph, and we need media friendly photos of rural dentistry patients.

Sketch

This has two parts, the appratus or hand scanner, and a laptop.

Hand Scanner

Vitamins

Vitamins are things we can't RepRap yet.

optical components, a laser-line module, camera module, generic electronics, usb cable.

Physically this will Then we can take a defined set of vitamins optical components, a laser-line module, camera module, generic electronics, usb cable, a laptop, etc. And we RepRap the other parts: A large plastic block/handle, or "Housing".

The RepRap-made Housing precisely contains the optical components

CNC Mill

It may be that we can't RepRap the plastic optical path holder yet. SDM is promising, but is still a research topic.

In which case we'll need to make it out of metal, for now. Luckily, there's a lot of CNC stations and jobshops out there.

Software

Splinescan

ACTION ITEM: Ask Andrew Lewis if splinescan can do this.

User Interface

User needs: a rural medical technician, bush doctor, or generic developed world doctor etc. Very intelligent, highly driven, assume poor English skills. Assume the doctor doesn't want to learn a complicated (or ugly) UI.

Notes

Vitamins

Camera Module

The inexpensive modern cell-phone camera is at the end of the optical path.

Geek Media Campaign Brainstorming Agitprop

Make Magazine

Do a good writeup, broadcast the idea in the next Make magazine maybe?

Notes

Vitamins

Camera Module

Presumably we can use the inexpensive modern cell-phone camera at the end of the optical path.

Agitprop

Broadcast the idea in the next Make magazine maybe?