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

Funding Model

The RRRF doesn't have much cash right now. We've got RepRap machine time, and oodles of volunteer time.

This is where the extra-RepRap community, aka the rest of the world comes in. Ideally, we need what NGOs call "an angel", someone who will parachute in, be purseholder, and maybe work on organizational and motivational matters, freeing up pure-developer types to work on technical matters.

Also, there are community-based funding models driven by websites where people pledge.

This is where agitprop "marketing" comes in.

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?