3D Camera Technology Gains Traction With Tech Giants, Investors

 Three-dimensional cameras have numerous potential applications, from gaming to retail to real estate, and that’s attracting interest from startups and major corporations alike.

 Mountain View, Calif.-based Matterport took one step toward commercializing the technology on Thursday, when it released its $4,500 3D camera for sale to the public. The company also markets its cloud services, including a Web player where users can upload and view 3D models of the spaces they scanned.

 Even as Matterport sells its higher-end camera, the sector is fast moving toward a time when every consumer could have a 3D camera in their pocket, nestled inside smartphones and tablets.

 Last month Google demonstrated Project Tango, a prototype phone that creates 3D models of the space it scans. In November, Apple said it purchased Israeli startupPrimeSense, which has been developing 3D sensors and cameras.

 “I wanted to scan my house and I wanted to drop it into ‘Call of Duty,’ so I’m fighting zombies in my own house,” said Mr. Krikorian, who invested in Matterport out of his personal investment and idea-creation entity id8 Group, which sold its project R2 Studios to the Xbox division of Microsoft last year.

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source:digits