There have been persistent rumours of Bambu Lab introducing a 3D scanner, and now there is some public evidence that the rumours are true.
In a recently posted FCC document, we can see information about this yet-to-be announced device.
Why is this happening? In order to sell and operate products emitting radio waves in the US, companies must file certification reports with the FCC. These are posted publicly, although often some of the detailed information is not publicly available.
The FCC filing in question is from Shenzhen Tuozhu Technology Co., Ltd., Bambu Lab’s official company name (Bambu Lab is their product brand name). There’s actually not much at all in the filing, but here’s what we know.
The product code is “DS001”, which might be the actual product name. “S” would likely be for scanner, “001” would be the first model, but what could the “D” mean? Dual? Digital?
I’m guessing it means “dual”, because that seems to be the popular approach for handheld 3D scanners these days. Dual means that there would be two methods of scanning, perhaps laser and structured light. The idea behind the two methods is that objects are quite varied, and the different methods cover more types of objects. In other words, you get two scanners in one.
The scanning head looks relatively large and complex. There are several separate structures in the upper section rather than anything resembling one camera. I would expect this to correspond to some combination of multiple cameras, structured-light/projector hardware, and illumination, although this particular drawing isn’t detailed enough to say which is which.
But that’s just speculation. “D” could mean something else.
What else do we know? Well, there’s the single image, shown at the top, which is showing the FCC where they will plant the official FCC certification label. Going through the image, we can speculate a little bit on how it might operate.
Clearly, there are finger grips, so imagine a hand coming in from the left and gripping the DS001. The business end would be on the right, the side you would point at the scanning subject.
There may be a thumb-operated button to start and stop scanning, which is common in this type of device.
What is not clear at all is whether the DS001 is tethered or not. Many 3D scanners require an attached PC during operation to handle the enormous calculations required. More advanced (and often heavier) handheld 3D scanners are able to perform all the work standalone, without requiring a PC nearby. That’s very handy because no cables get tangled while traveling around the subject. On the other hand, the DS001 might use a wireless connection to a PC.
One clue might be at the bottom. There is a strange repeated series of holes. This could be a large vent for the scanner. Large venting might mean a lot of heat is generated, and so onboard processing might be the implication. In other words, no PC required. Again, that’s just my speculation.
The large flat area facing the operator might be where a touchscreen is mounted. This would provide not only controls, but also visual feedback during scanning operations.
At the bottom, there appears to be a USB-C port, which would be used to offload collected data for further processing. That could be another clue hinting that onboard processing is being done: you can download the data after scanning via the USB-C port.
Also on the flat bottom, there seems to be some feet, probably soft, so that you can safely rest the DS001 on a flat surface.
The grip and base seem quite large for the function, so perhaps that’s where they can place a larger battery — which again implies onboard processing. More CPU means more battery is required.
That’s about all I can glean from the image: a Bambu Lab-branded handheld 3D scanner, possibly called the DS001, which may have dual scanning methods and onboard processing for standalone operation. Or not.
We’ll have to wait and see what Bambu Lab may announce in the future, if they announce anything at all.
