LiDAR scanner makes 2020 iPad Pro an augmented reality powerhouse
The 2020 iPad Pro is the first Apple computer with LiDAR. This innovation enables the tablet to make an accurate 3D map of its location. Combine it with software improvements and this tablet is, in Apple’s words, “the world’s best device for augmented reality.”
And the LiDAR scanner might be usable for other purposes, as well.
Time for LiDAR 101
The LiDAR scanner in the latest iPad Pro works like a short-range version of radar. It scans a laser over the entire area behind this tablet, measuring the distances to objects by seeing how long it takes light to reach an object and reflect back.
Apple’s version of this Time of Flight sensor has a range of 16 feet (5 m). It works indoors and outside, and creates maps nearly instantly.
This ToF sensor will upgrade the capabilities of Apple’s ARkit software, which is already in iOS and iPadOS. “ARKit as it stands can find flat surfaces and place a virtual object on that, but not do a lot else when it comes to understanding the environment. ToF sensors could help ARKit go beyond that and open up new possibilities to app developers.”
But with the 2020 iPad Pro just announced but not yet released, there are questions about what it else the LiDAR scanner can be used for. Currently, there’s no way to know if it be able to scan an object accurately enough so a copy can be made with a 3D printer, for example.
See the full story here: https://www.cultofmac.com/693611/lidar-scanner-2020-ipad-pro-augmented-reality-3d-scanner/