The nonprofit Center for Innovative Technology (CIT; Herndon, VA, USA) has made a $100,000 investment in VanGogh Imaging (McLean, VA, USA), a developer of 3-D rendering software.

3-D flash light detection and ranging (lidar) cameras developed by Advanced Scientific Concepts (ASC; Santa Barbara, CA, USA) have been chosen for the OSIRIS-REx planetary science mission that will return a sample of a carbonaceous asteroid to Earth in 2016.

Researchers at InnerOptic Technology (Hillsborough, NC, USA) have developed software that fuses pre-operative CT scans with live ultrasound imagery in real time onto a 3-D monitor.

Engineers at 3D3 Solutions (Burnaby, BC, Canada) have created a High Definition Imaging (HDI) scanner that uses a combination of Point Grey (Richmond, BC, Canada) cameras, projectors and proprietary software.

Researchers at Queensland University of Science and Technology (Brisbane, Australia) are attempting to develop a system that will be able to identify a person without the need to stand face on to a camera.

Researchers led by Dr. John Zhang from the University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX, USA) have created a portable, miniature microscope that may help reduce the time taken to diagnose oral cancer.

A group of European companies working under the umbrella of Minalogic (Grenoble, France) claim to have developed a rapid x-ray tomography system that can inspect parts on a production line.

Australia's largest apparel retailer Target has plans to scan up to 20,000 adult men and women using 3-D body scanners from Alvanon (New York, NY) to identify and analyze the dominant body shapes and measurements of consumers.

A new data center at the University of Cambridge Institute for Astronomy (IoA; Cambridge, UK) will process imaging data from a satellite to create the first three-dimensional map of more than a billion stars.

Computer scientists and medical researchers at the University of Leeds (Leeds, UK) have developed a way of studying tissue samples using a digital scanning system that produces 3-D images.

In Part II of this three-part series, associate professor Daniel Lau (Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Kentucky) describes how active stereo systems can perform accurate 3-D reconstructions even on scenes with low texture areas and smooth surfaces.

AV&R Vision & Robotics has developed a system that combines visual inspection, robotics, and 3-D profiling techniques to inspect critical components such as those used in the aerospace and medical manufacturing industries.

Graduate student Steven Arroyo of Rice University (Houston, TX, USA) has built a 3-D imaging system using structured light and has detailed the design on The Hackengineer web site.

Researchers at the Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH; Hannover, Germany) and the Biosystems and Horticultural Engineering faculty of the Leibniz Universität Hannover (Hannover, Germany) are developing a system that uses a camera-guided laser to fight weeds

Any nostalgic feelings for the past may be better put aside with the understanding that the future will only bring with it more exciting technologies, products, and applications.

The European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) is to break away from the German Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (VDMA) to become an independent non-for-profit association.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM; Kaiserslautern, Germany) have developed a mobile mechanized ultrasound system that can be used for the nondestructive testing of ship's propellers.

A pioneering study aims to determine whether a scan of blood vessels in the eye can identify signs of heart disease.

Navy unmanned aircraft will be able to distinguish small pirate boats from other vessels when an Office of Naval Research (ONR; Arlington, VA, USA)-funded sensor starts airborne tests this summer.

Researchers from Loughborough University (Loughborough, UK) will be using 3-D scanning systems to help restore ancient artifacts from the Palace Museum in Beijing.

A team of engineers at 3D Engineering Solutions (3DES; Cincinnati, OH, USA) created a clash detection simulation that highlighted interferences that prevented replacement turbines from entering a coal-fired power plant.

Neya Systems (Wexford, PA, USA) has been awarded a contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop novel classification technologies that could be used across the produce production and delivery supply chain.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA) researchers are building image sensors that could lead to the development of the next generation of 3-D cameras.

Global maritime and offshore oil and gas engineering company Harris Pye (Barry, South Wales, UK) has used a 360 degree 3-D scanner to survey the engine room of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrying vessel to ascertain the best system for a ballast water treatment installation.