A Blanket That Detects Its Own Orientation

If you want to capture a 3D model of a physical object, you could use a Kinect, a couple of lasers, constructive light, or even a simple touch sensor mounted on a robotic arm. Those are all expensive devices, and somewhat unnecessary now that you can just throw a blanket over an object and get a 3D model instantaneously.

The project is called IM BLANKY and it’s supposed to reproduce 3D shapes by simply throwing it over an object. The petals in the flower motif are pieces of conductive fabric that serve as contacts for the electrified tassel in the center of each flower. When the blanket is thrown over an object, the tassel is pulled by gravity, makes contact with one of the six conductive petals and sends a tilt switch to a microcontroller.

While we’re not too sure about the resolution IM BLANKY will provide with only 20 tilt sensors, but we imagine this could be used for a few medical applications.

via dvice

16 thoughts on “A Blanket That Detects Its Own Orientation

  1. When I read the headline and saw the pic, what I was hopping for was that the special pattern on the blanket was read by a camera(s) and turned into 3d information. Don’t know why that popped into my head.

  2. Hmmm- so maybe with such low resolution it might be better as a ‘security blanket’ that you could toss over something and if anyone moved the blanket, even to look under it, it would signal an alarm.

  3. if they wanted to make a blanket to be used for 3d scanning they should have used silk, which as ancient prudes have noted “leaves little to the imagination” poly cotton blend is more stiff and adds more of it OWN shape, silk or even fake silk is more loose and takes more of its shape from what its covering.
    never the less its quite pretty, looks great

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