3d laser scanning nightmares, part 2
Broken equipment, hazardous chemicals, knife-wielding tenants and mud-filled cellars are just some of the harrowing and treacherous situations a 3D laser scanning service technician may find themselves in. Our 3d laser scanning technicians are passionate about collecting thorough and accurate scans, and often with heroic efforts.
The drone crash
It was a beautiful partly cloudy day at a cement plant where our drone pilot was using a 3D scanning service technique called photogrammetry, where a drone flies over an area to be measured taking photos. This particular job required the capture of several stockpiles of raw material mined from the earth. To the average person they look like big piles of dirt. Of course, to the cement plant they look more like big piles of money, so they want to keep close track of how much material is there. Unbeknownst to the drone operator, there was a crack that had been developing on the drone. The crack was in the area that supported one of the propellers. Now, when the drone is flying it is constantly changing its attitude to counter small wind gusts and respond to pilot commands. During one of these maneuvers, the crack allowed the arm to flex enough that the propeller contacted its guard, causing it to stop spinning momentarily. This was enough to cause the drone to start tumbling, and it could not recover before hitting the ground. RIP drone, you will be missed.
The silent killer
Imagine if there were someone in your home that you couldn’t see, that could kill you without you even knowing they were there? This is the nature of the silent killer, H2S gas. As 3D laser scanning service providers, we sometimes scan for clients who operate plants at which this type of gas may be present. They say that it is colorless, odorless, makes no sound and can kill you in seconds. So how does one have a chance against such a foe? For these circumstances we must enhance our own human sensory abilities by utilizing a sensor. This little device can detect the slightest amount of H2S in the air, and emits a loud alarm to tell the 3D laser scanning person to leave the area immediately. We have been fortunate enough to never have been exposed to such a silent killer, but the stories alone are the stuff nightmares are made of.
The knife-wielding tenant
We are often required to scan hotel rooms, apartment complexes and other residential properties. Usually they are empty, but occasionally they are occupied. When occupied, it is usually a matter of working a time out with the tenant that they can be absent, and gaining access to the premises. However in one very sticky situation, the tenants were in the process of being evicted, and were not cooperative with the idea of having their soon-to-be vacant home scanned. One particularly passionate person chose to express his feelings by running out of his unit with a knife, chasing our 3d laser scanning technician. This was a potentially life-threatening situation that our 3d laser scanning technician was able to evade. We are sometimes placed in the difficult position of performing 3D laser scanning services in a situation where two parties disagree. This also occurs when scanning evidence for a court case, and opposing attorneys may be present. We found the attorneys to be much more civil however than our knife-wielding homeless friend.
Stuck in the mud
Buildings often have spaces, rooms or even entire floors that are not part of the common living or working space that everybody sees. These might be called crawl spaces, interstitial spaces, or attics. Usually these “in between” spaces are not as comfortable as the others. They may not have heating and air conditioning, may not be lit, and may not even be a full height so you can’t even stand up straight. There are also sometimes few places to walk and it can be difficult navigating the space in order to capture an adequate number of setup positions for performing 3D laser scanning services. Our 3d laser scanning technician found him self in just this situation, to the extreme. The space was a “crawl space” under the property. It was very hot, and wet. The ground was muddy, and there was barely enough head room to sit up. On top of that, there was steam coming from some of the pipes. Now this is a situation that was borderline, but our faithful 3d scanning technician decided to get the job done. He ended up crawling around in a lot of mud and has the pictures to prove it. However, he did not damage the scanner which is the true art here.
3D laser scanning services – hassle free
3D laser scanning is something you can outsource so that you do not have to deal with the myriad of challenges that can arise. From dirty and broken equipment to hostile bystanders, let us do the hard part and you can enjoy the rich 3D measurement data obtained from 3D laser scanning services.