I-Corps: Motion contrast 3D scanning technology

如今，3D扫描仪在雾、雨和雪等日常情况下的可靠观察能力受到限制。在道路上，拟议中的技术（MDAR）使自动驾驶汽车能够在雪、雾和尘土飞扬的乡村道路上更快、更准确地看到情况——这是实现全自动驾驶汽车大规模采用的关键一步。在工厂中，MDAR为设备提供了不受闪亮表面限制的3D视觉，开启了新的工业自动化应用。MDAR解决了当前3D扫描的一个独特缺陷，即其他系统太慢、太笨重、太昂贵或对环境退化太敏感。该项目的更广泛目标是将西北大学开发的运动对比3D扫描技术商业化。该项目的具体目标是：(1)通过采访100多名客户进行客户发现；(2)完成我们初始产品的alpha版本；(3)根据我们在客户发现过程中的发现，完善我们最初产品的测试版的技术规范。这个项目的范围将是技术和商业。在技术方面，该项目将进一步开发alpha模型。在商业方面，该项目将有助于进一步提炼出商业化的最佳途径。我们项目的潜在贡献将是推动一项技术的发展，由于其高速户外能力，可以通过提高自动驾驶汽车的空间意识来改善道路安全，或者通过允许远程探测器快速可靠地扫描地形来扩大我们对行星科学的了解。这对私营行业有重大影响，包括：自动驾驶汽车、精准农业、工业自动化和消费电子产品

Today, 3D scanners are limited in their ability to see reliably in everyday situations such as fog, rain, and snow. On the road, the proposed technology (MDAR) enables self-driving cars to see faster and more accurately in snow, fog, and on dusty country roads-a key step for achieving mass-scale adoption of fully-autonomous vehicles. In the factory, MDAR gives equipment the gift of 3D vision uninhibited by shiny surfaces, unlocking new industrial automation applications. MDAR addresses a unique gap in current 3D scanning where other systems are too slow, too cumbersome, too expensive, or too sensitive to environmental degradations. The broader objective of this project will be the commercialization of the motion contrast 3D scanning technology developed at Northwestern University. The specific objectives of this project are to: (1) engage in customer discovery by interviewing over 100 customers; (2) complete an alpha version of our initial product offering; (3) refine the technical specifications for the beta version of our initial product offering based on our findings during customer discovery. The scope of this project will be both technical and commercial. On the technical side, this project will further the development of an alpha model. On the commercial side, this project will help further distill the best paths forward for commercialization. The potential contribution of our project will be to advance the development of a technology that, due to its high-speed outdoor capabilities, can improve road safety by advancing spatial awareness in autonomous cars or broaden our knowledge of planetary science by allowing remote probes to quickly and reliably scan terrain. This has significant implications in private industry, including: self-driving cars, precision agriculture, industrial automation, and consumer electronics