3D printing at home is getting there step by step. Makerbot, that produces desktop 3D printers like the Replicator, has announced a new desktop 3D scanner at SXSW Interactive, called the Digitizer. This device will enable users to scan their own 3D models (like the gnome on the photograph) and print these with a 3D printer - with little or no design experience.
Founder and CEO of Makerbot, Bre Pettis, showed a prototype at SXSW. It should be on the market by Fall 2013. There are no details about the scanner available at this moment. According to TechCrunch, the scanner "uses two lasers to map small, breadbox-sized objects and a webcam to create a digital model of any object." Presumably the scanner translates that information into a CAD file. The Replicator can read the output and print the design. It should be able to scan objects with a maximum dimension of 20 x 20 centimeter in three minutes.
