The "Aquila" Tablet Scans our World in 3D to Help Build Better Virtual Ones

Your Tablet Can Fire Off Emails and Help you Rotate Beautiful, Escherian Worlds but, Can it Capture the World Around You in Glorious 3D ? Probably Not but, the Newly Revealed (and Android-Powered) "Aquila" from Mantis Vision and Flextronics Can. Most of its Spec Sheet Reads like Any Other Top-Flight Tablet's would -- it's Got an 8-Inch Screen Running at 1900 x 1200 and a Punchy Snapdragon 801 Chipset Ticking Away in there -- but, the Telltale Dual Image Sensors 'round the Back, Make it Clear this Isn't your Average Android Slate. By Capturing Regular Color Footage and Infrared Depth Data, the "Aquila" Can Put Together an Awfully Detailed Spatial Representation of your Surroundings. What's that ? 'Mantis Vision' Sounds a Little Familiar ?


You're probably Remembering their Work with Google on Project Tango which (What Else ?) Saw One of their Impressive 3D Sensors Crammed into One of Mountain View's 7-Inch Tablets. Of Course, Mantis Vision Isn't the First to Try and Marry Tablets and 3D Cameras -- the Folks at Occipital (you Know, they Made that RedLaser App Back in the Day) Built an iPad-Mounted 3D Sensor Called the Structure and Launched it on Kickstarter around this Time Last Year. Its Success Means there's at Least Some Demand for these Sorts of Tools and Mantis Vision May just Have the Right Hardware at the Right Time. Alas, this Thing Isn't Meant for Joe Q. Everyperson...Yet. Right Now, "Aquila" is Targeting Software Makers Who Want to Break into 3 Dimensions in Hopes that, its M4VD System Becomes the Standard Everyone Works with. Developers Can Try and Nab One of their Own for $925 at Qualcomm's Uplinq Conference but, the Technology Could Find its Way into Consumer-Grade Tablets by Next Year.




Info Sources:

http://www.mv4d.com/aquila

http://gizmodo.com/mantis-visions-3d-sensing-tablet-could-help-anyone-make-1636263992