Is there any relation between the two?
In fact there is, and it is in the form of something called NFT’s, or non-fungible tokens. It is a bit hard to understand exactly how NFT’s work, but we have customers now that are getting things scanned for use as an NFT. for example, one of our customers created an NFT for a scan of Michael Jordan’s first pair of high top sneakers. Celebrities can get a 3D scan of their face or body and sell that for a lot of money. So if you have something that you think would be valuable in digital form, contact us and we can create a scan file for use as an NFT.
Blockchain technology is an ever increasing solution to many problems we have today, especially in the area of trust and transactions. It is affecting more and more areas of our lives, and now is reaching into the areas of 3D scanning through NFT’s. But there is another connection between 3D technology and cryptocurrency. There is a cryptocurrency called XYO that utilizes blockchain technology. it has what are called “location-verifying beacons” in the possession of real people. It is presented as an alternative to GPS, which proponents say is vulnerable to hacking. Similar to GPS, these beacons know their exact location and one would be able to specify their location based on the XYO network rather than GPS. The obvious overlap with 3D scanning services is that often, we will utilize 3D scanners with GPS sensors on board that can automatically determine their location and orientation so that the scans are automatically positioned correctly. This is also called geo-referencing. Perhaps one day there will be a 3D scanner or drone that is able to determine its position using the XYO network rather than GPS. Consider self-driving cars. They utillize lidar 3D scanning services on-board to detect obstacles, but they also utilize GPS to determine their position. Perhaps XYO or some other blockchain technology could be one to replace GPS in this case. If GPS signals are ever blocked or fail, a self-driving car would probably have to shut down, just like my brain does when my phone stops working if using map navigation.
Another overlap with 3D scanning services is that just like with bitcoin or other speculative investments, if you bet on the wrong horse you can lose your shirt. With 3D scanning services, there are a lot of new players out there and if you pick the wrong company to perform 3D scanning services for you, you could be left holding the bag. Now that I have just looked up that metaphor and realized that it makes no sense, thankfully 3D scanning services have a money-back guarantee with Arrival 3D. You don’t need blockchain to trust Arrival 3D with your project. We understand the importance of quality, accuracy, on-time delivery and confidentiality.
There is a great company that has combined the service of 3D scanning and blockchain technology into what is called the erectorcoin. This amazing new invention is called cloud manufacturing and is an exciting new way to buy 3D scanning services and 3D printing services.
As blockchain technology grows and evolves it is exciting to watch how it spills over into various aspects of our daily lives, including now 3D scanning services.
