3D mirror scanner begins public trials

The syst is a collaboration between 3D capture and imaging company Fuel3D and Dutch eyewear technology developer Sfered, and was unveiled at SILMO Paris last month.Hoya launched a similar piece of optical dispensing equipment called Yuniku at the same event (see page 20), suggesting such technology could become increasingly popular in future.Fuel3D and Sfered’s offering uses a 180° 3D scanner to accurately capture all the metrics required by an optician to fit and customise eyewear in a single scan.{{quote-A:R-W:450-Q: Customised eyewear is a great tool for independent opticians and optometrists as they increasingly compete with the large chains. -WHO:Mr Allan Petersen, CEO of Monoqool}}It was said the scanner’s high-speed 3D capture could collect the data – including pupillary distance, nose bridge width, facial width, and distance to the ear – in 0.1 seconds.Opticians can also virtually fit frames to customers using a database of stored designs from Sfered, or upload catalogues from other frame manufacturers.“When people look into a mirror, they relax, straighten up and focus much more naturally than if they are looking into a camera, which means that the scanner collects more accurate data for custom eyewear fitting,” Sfered chief executive officer Mr Peter Tutuarima explained.“We have worked closely with the team at Fuel3D to bring this new scanning syst to market and we are looking forward to donstrating the benefits that next-generation facial scanning can bring to the custom fit process.”Denmark-based monoqool, which produces customised, 3D laser-printed polyamid frames, was the first business to integrate its products into the scanning syst.“It is in our DNA to be innovative and this new scanning product can help the whole eyewear industry to benefit from our innovation,” monoqool CEO Mr Allan Petersen said. “Customised eyewear is a great tool for independent opticians and optometrists as they increasingly compete with the large chains.”The syst is expected to hit the market by the end of the year.