A rather interesting new 3D scanner is about to hit the market.
The device is the AiScan O1, soon to be launched on Kickstarter. The company behind the new device is ChaoXiLi, and we’ll talk more about them in a bit.
The AiScan O1 is quite different from typical handheld 3D scanners. Normally, you’d see factors like these:
- Smarts onboard or requiring an attached PC
- Separate devices for small and large area scans
- Single scanning method: structured light, laser, photogrammetry, etc.
These typical constraints seem to be thrown out the window with the AiScan O1. This is apparently designed to be an all-in-one device for both professionals and consumers. It handles both small and large area scans.
And most importantly, it uses more than one scanning process.
It uses the structured light process via twin MEMS phase-shifting projectors that emit blue light patterns. This can apparently achieve 0.005mm resolution!
But the AiScan O1 also uses Gaussian splatting.
You may not have heard of this technique, because it is quite new and based on an AI foundation. It’s been used in some smartphone apps for 3D scanning applications, but here it is set up as an onboard tool, ready to use.
What’s so fancy about Gaussian splatting? They explain:
“Conventional 3D scanners reconstruct surfaces as triangulated meshes with UV-mapped textures. This approach is well-suited for CAD and manufacturing workflows, but fundamentally limited in visual fidelity — mesh rendering cannot accurately represent translucency, sub-surface scattering, anisotropic reflections, or fine volumetric structures like hair and fabric. 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) is a different representation entirely. Instead of polygon surfaces, 3DGS encodes a scene as a collection of oriented 3D Gaussian primitives — each carrying position, covariance, color, and opacity. The result is a continuous, differentiable representation that captures how light actually interacts with materials.”
In other words, it can capture a far more realistic view of certain types of objects. But more importantly, it means the AiScan O1 has two different tools that you can choose from when scanning. Or, even better, it can automatically decide itself based on the subject presented.
For scanning sizes, the device has near and far field modes. In near field, it can scan objects as close as 100mm. This is ideal for small part scans, such as jewellery, dental models, etc. On the other hand, its far field mode has 1000mm range and thus can easily handle large objects like automobiles or structures.
Combining these two modes, the AiScan O1 can handle scanning size boxes from 10 x 10 x 10 mm, all the way up to 4000 x 4000 x 4000 mm.
There are also a number of very intriguing AI-based features. For example, it can automatically highlight areas that you missed when 3D scanning, in addition to preparing ready-to-print 3D meshes.
AiScan O1 Pricing
There are plenty more interesting features that you should investigate on their launch page, but let’s get into cost.
They say the MSRP of the AiScan O1 is US2199, which sounds about right for a machine of this capability. However, at the official launch, they will have 60 units available at only US$1099, half price. I expect those will disappear instantly.
They then have a range of price levels that will be consumed over time, ending up with a 20% discount to US$1759.
This is a Kickstarter campaign, and you are no doubt wondering about the viability of this company, so let’s get into that.
ChaoXiLi Background
ChaoXiLi was founded only in March 2024, so they are only two years old. A startup company, right?
Not so fast. They seem to be very tightly associated with iFLYTEK, a massive Chinese AI company specializing in voice recognition, founded in 1999. The company today has revenue of over US$3B per year, so they are not small at all.
It appears that ChaoXiLi is some kind of spin-out from iFLYTEK, as their listed company achievements seem to be mixed together.
It’s not entirely clear of the exact relationship between these two companies, but it is pretty certain that ChaoXiLi is backed by a major AI company. In addition, it seems that ChaoXiLi also has several professional products already on the market. That should lessen the risk quite a bit from your average Kickstarter campaign.
Via Kickstarter
