Matter and Form announced a Kickstarter campaign for their latest 3D scanner product today. The scanner, which connects to iOS or Android smartphones costs just $49.

The current price for the smartphone 3D scanners stands at $600. That may be lower than the average price for a basic 3D scanner but still doesn’t fit in the “affordable” context. For this reason, Matter and Form announced a new $49 scanner called the “Bevel Clip”. The product is still in development, as Matter and Form just started a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter.

This device connects through the jack (headphone) port of an Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. It basically transforms the device’s camera into a 3D scanner. The Bevel Clip features a laser line that passes along the scanned object, essentially helping the camera “understand” the geometry of the object.

The scans are stored as 3D photographs and can be reviewed or further edited using Matter and Form’s “Bevel app” that is available for free. The 2.5-inch device features a USB-port rechargeable battery, a universal clip that was made to fit every possible thickness, a 3.5mm jack and an eye-safe laser, so it’s fairly simple as a concept.

Matter and Form: Experience in 3D Scanners and Crowdfunding Campaigns

Matter and Form is not new to the scene. Their goal is to create affordable 3D scanner. The company achieved a 582% funding on Indiegogo for their first 3D scanner model “Matterform 3D Scanner” almost two years ago. They eventually brought a compact, lightweight, portable, high-resolution scanner that only needs about five minutes to capture a 18 cm (diameter) 25 cm (height) object.

The new Kickstarter campaign has just begun. Early Backers had the chance to get the Bevel for just 39$. That offer‘s gone, unfortunately, now you have to pay $49.

3D scanning is equally important as 3D printing, as a prerequisite for duplicating objects. It seems that, finally, we will have truly affordable scanners that will open up the way for a wider adoption and utilization of 3D printing technologies. As the CEO of Matter and Form Drew Cox states: “The technology for this already exists. The problem is that no one is taking the time to make it into a tool that everyone can use”.