Autonomous drones to 3D body scanners: The future tech headed to your home

Through the drone's eyes

A snapshot of what the ASCTEC drone sees through its six depth-mapping cameras.

Image: Intel

3D body scanning

Ever wanted to create a tiny bust of your head to give to your friends?

The answer may be no, but if you do then you're in luck. By Christmas this year tablets should be available that will allow you to scan a person so you can print off your own mini-me.

Capturing a scan takes less than a minute. The 3D model could then be printed off at home, or for those without a 3D printer forwarded to an online service to create a more elaborate model. The process could also capture people to allow them to be digitally animated or used as an online/in-game avatar.

The tablet captures the scan using the same long-range RealSense 3D camera used with the ASCTEC drone.

Intel says that Android and Windows tablets, running on both Intel Core and Atom processors, will be released with the long-range RealSense cameras.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Mini me

And here is the end result, a tiny, etched glass bust based on an earlier 3D scan captured by the tablet.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Become one with the data

One for gadget lovers not afraid to let technology get under their skin, or at least to pipe data through it.

This computer is transmitting data to the bracelet via the wearer's skin, a process that Intel calls 'Human Body Communication'.

Intel says the technology could provide an easy way to swap information between machines. For example, the user could highlight an address on a computer, touch the pad to download it to the bracelet, then touch a sat-nav to communicate that destination to the device.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Power without wires

Wires will soon disappear from computing if the tech giants are to be believed.

When it comes to wirelessly charging, Intel is betting on the Rezence technology, which is based on the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) standard and relies on magnetic resonance to juice gadgets.

Rezence chargers can beam up to 20W of power to nearby devices, charge multiple machines at once and transmit through a thick wooden table top, as seen here.

Intel is expecting the first laptops to support wireless charging will be released at the end of this year.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

HP Sprout

This is the HP Sprout, an unusual name for an unusual computer.

Not only does the machine have a 20-inch touchscreen for a keyboard - its built-in depth-sensing camera can scan 3D objects.

Here the Sprout has scanned in the phone case sitting on the horizontal touchscreen, using the Intel RealSense camera built into its stand.

Because the camera can measure distances, as well as capturing images, it is able to capture a reasonably accurate 3D model of the case.

Other potential uses include children scanning in toys to create 3D replicas they can animate or use in games.

The Sprout is available in the US at $1,899.99 and £1,899 in the UK.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

A smarter home

Imagine a home with lights that turn on when you enter the room or music that is automatically piped to wherever you are in the house.

That's the idea behind a prototype system dreamt up by German start-up Kinexon and Intel for tracking your movements around the home.

The system relies on a central computer, appliance or router to wirelessly track a tag worn by the user at a distance of up to 10 metres.

A smartphone app will allow users to set up the system, for instance to play music in whatever room they're in, and can be set up to handle multiple tags.

It works with smart devices already on the market, from the Nest thermostat to Philips Hue lightbulbs, and uses a common protocol that should ensure compatibility with future products.

Down the line Intel foresees some more ambitious uses for such a system, which as well as tracking the position of the tags in the home, can also track their height and orientation.

Movement can be tracked fairly precisely, as the tags can report their position up to 100 times per second, although this can be reduced to extend battery life, which Kinexon says can last up to two years.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Your face or mine

Another use for the RealSense camera is to create 3D scans of your face.

Here you can see an application called 3DME, which scans your face and then allows you to superimpose it on different characters.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Set phasers to fun

For instance, here one of the Intel team is recreated as a member of Star Trek crew.

Image: Intel

Face off

Beyond having an avatar that simply looks like you, how about one that gurns like you too.

FaceShift is a RealSense app that captures your expression and renders it on a 3D character, as seen here.

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic