There are various optical scanning technologies. In the health sector, laser and structured light technologies are the most common.
This technique is mainly based on laser triangulation, which is when a laser beam is projected onto the object to scan and determine its exact geometry.
– Advantages: The high resolution and precision it provides are the main advantages of this technique. In addition, the scanners that use this offer good value for money and are therefore among the most widely used.
– Disadvantages: The disadvantages relate to the extreme sensitivity of the laser to the physical properties of the surface being scanned. This technique is not suitable for scanning transparent and/or reflective surfaces, for example.
- Structured light scanning (white or blue light)
This consists of projecting a series of light patterns onto the object to be scanned.
– Advantages: This technology is appreciated for its precision and speed. Structured light scanners provide quality results with good resolution for medium to large objects. As such, they can be used to scan people’s entire bodies.
– Disadvantages: One of the main disadvantages is the sensitivity to ambient light, which can be problematic when scanning outdoors, for example.