Consumers are worried about their safety
With all of the advancements in 3D laser scanning and its technology, many consumers are worried about their safety. Many phones have been updated to use this technology, laptops, and tablets to use facial recognition to keep things secure. However, do we know if it is that secure? Dr.Annika Jones from Durham University went about studying the safety of using 3D laser scanning and printing and found that there may be a threat but ways we can stop it.
In a world where our phone holds our entire lives, by embedding 3D technology into it may not be the safest way to protect our information. Most of this technology is introduced in our daily lives to create a more secure world.
“THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE MORE WE 3D PRINT CONTENT, THE MORE THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT EVERYDAY ITEMS MIGHT BE USED TO TRACK THE MOVEMENTS OF INDIVIDUALS. SOMETHING AS BASIC AS A 3D PRINTED CUP, OR BROACH, COULD BE TRACKED AND TRACED IN FUTURE THROUGH THE UPLOADING OF PHOTOGRAPHS.” Dr. Annika Jones.
Things like games, programs, and more use the information from our cameras to gather information, leading to a serious threat. Now, many people can create items through 3D printing and sell it as a credible item even when it isn’t. This can lead to other serious problems that need to be addressed as this market grows and expands.
How does 3D laser scanning work
This device usually comes in a small handheld device that captures thousands of cloud data points. All of these points are gathered by lasers that bounce to and from an object. At the same time, rapid pictures are being taken. This allows the small device to capture things like texture, sizes, dimensions, and more. All of this information gets uploaded to the cloud, where it is stored forever.
From here, the images can easily be edited, turned into virtual reality, and 3D printed. Someone could wrongly get this information, though most times it is super secure, it could cause privacy issues. Would you want someone walking around virtually in your home? Perhaps not. This technology is advanced and has changed our world for the better in many ways, and many different companies have adopted this tool, but it may not always be the safest.
How can we change the outcome
There are so many things researchers need to change. Perhaps one of the biggest things they can do is change the server to a specially made one for each scanner. For 3D printing, they may be able to embed something in the printer to add a serial number to all printed products. Right now, there are no good answers, but they will need to figure out solutions to keep us honest and our privacy secure.
Final thoughts
3D laser scanning has truly changed our world, and we are using it for many things. As we advance, we will want to focus on adding more privacy to these tools. This will help the market grow and help consumers feel comfortable with the latest technology.
