Laser scanning facility for rapid three-dimensional measurement

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
What the facility does

Develops laser scanner and range camera data processing methods for structural and biomedical measurement applications

Areas of expertise

A combination of high-tech equipment, complex computer algorithms and data analysis provide detailed images of structures and mathematical representations of their geometry. A range of applications use laser scanning, including monitoring the condition of infrastructure such as buildings, bridges and dams. The facility is critical to developing new techniques for capturing human motion. Range cameras are used to capture a subject without the need to apply invasive reflective markers on it.

Research services

Laser scanning, range imaging, sensor modelling, calibration, registration, feature extraction

Sectors of application
  • Construction (including building, civil engineering, specialty trades)
  • Information and communication technologies and media
  • Utilities
Equipment Function

Leica HDS6000 terrestrial laser scanner system

 

The Leica HDS6000 terrestrial laser scanner is a portable measurement system that can rapidly acquire three-dimensional (3D) point sets of objects of interest, such as industrial processing plants, bridges, streetscapes and mine stockpiles, with a positional accuracy of +/- 6 mm.

Konica-Minolta Vivid 9i close-range triangulation scanner system

 

The Konica-Minolta Vivid 9i close-range triangulation scanner system is a high-accuracy (+/- 0.05 mm) 3D system. This system operates over a much shorter range (up to. 1.7 m) and features three interchangeable lenses that allow the user to optimize the imaging conditions for each unique application.

Polhemus FastScan Scorpion hand-held scanner system

 

The hand-held Polhemus FastScan Scorpion system has the ability to deliver sub-millimetre accuracy 3D data with a hand-held system.
Two R337-SR4000-5M-ETH-FOV range cameras The R337-SR4000-5M-ETH-FOV range cameras (sold as the SwissRanger SR00400011 outside North America), like the other pieces of hardware in the facility, are range-imaging sensors that directly collect 3D measurements of surfaces up to 10 m.
Three-dimensional modelling software PolyWorks Modeler and Inspector software by Canadian company Innovmetric. This is powerful, industry-leading software that accepts 3D point data independent of acquisition technology so the data captured from all three of the scanners are compatible. Its graphical interface allows the user to view, edit, manipulate, model and export data. These capabilities make this software a vital part of the facility, necessary to manipulate data captured with the scanners into a suitable form for subsequent manipulation by the code this research program developed.
  • Cantega Technologies