“Sprout”ing with Innovation

In last week’s blog, we briefly mentioned HP’s Sprout; today, we want to expand on this 3D-printing invention!

HP revealed their newest 3D-printing project and it was that Multi Jet Fusion technology that will soon have the ability to power 3D commercial and manufacturing printers, which would make 3D printers more affordable and able to print stronger products than any other printer on the market.

Both of HP’s 3D-printing innovations have been called “Blended Reality,” which is an effort by HP to streamline the interface between real and virtual objects.

Equipped with a visor-like extension on the top, Sprout, an all-in-one touchscreen PC, has the capability to 3D print by way of its 20-inch touch-screen, projector (Sprout Illuminator), touch pad, 3D scanner and projection system.

The Illuminator, as previously mentioned, comes with a 14.6-megapixel camera that can identify documents and objects that are placed on the top of the projector, like your hand, a toy or even paper.

Through the Intel RealSense 3D camera, infrared and depth-sensing cameras combine forces to determine the 3D data, which is a lot like the Xbox Kinect; the Sprout, however, can see in three dimensions.

The HP Sprout is a touchscreen PC that runs Windows 8.1 and allows a user to scan in objects and work with them, using the touch screen and touch pad components.

HP’s latest innovation, the Sprout, comes with a mouse and keyboard and although it’s really meant to be used with your fingers, it does come with a stylus and spill-resistant mat. If the user needs to type something, the system will also project a touch-sensitive keyboard down onto the mat.

Some might be a little apprehensive using a projected keyboard rather than a physical keyboard with keys; however, the spongy surface reacts very well with a user’s touch and is comfortable to type on.

Sprout is also set to be equipped with productivity apps and software from partners like Martha Stewart and Crayola.