Democratising 3D – Elata and the New Era of Accessible XR
3D rendering of the bust of Charles Wheatstone captured with Aralia’s Elata - Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy
What if you could carry a 3D scanner in your pocket – and turn the real world into virtual content, instantly?
Wheatstone proved that immersive vision was possible. Now, at Aralia Systems, we’re making it practical, affordable, and mobile.
Our new device, Elata, clips onto a standard smartphone and transforms it into a powerful 3D scanner. It uses a combination of time-of-flight sensing and photometric capture to create millimetre-accurate 3D models. The AI-driven cloud processing behind Elata is able to generate standard 3D meshes up to fifty times faster than traditional Multiview Stereo methods.
It handles challenging surfaces effortlessly, even those with minimal texture or markings. One recent demonstration used Elata to scan the statue of John Henry Newman, generating a lifelike animated 3D talking head, all from a mobile scan.
Even more exciting? These scans can be converted into stereoscopic VR experiences, viewable right on a smartphone using a simple cardboard viewer. It’s XR for everyone, not just labs and studios.
Every file produced by Elata includes an automatically generated analysis report, quantifying the accuracy of the 3D reconstruction. This transparency reflects Aralia’s commitment to ethical, scientifically grounded AI. Our processing pipeline fuses optical science with deep learning to deliver the best performance in the shortest time.
Applications range from heritage and education to cosmetics and product design. Museums can digitise artefacts; beauty brands can track facial detail with precision. No lighting rigs, no special training – just a smartphone and Elata.
And for those attending the BridgeAI Annual Showcase on 16th June, you’ll be able to see this in action. Aralia Systems will be exhibiting the Elata device alongside a 3D reconstruction of a bust of Charles Wheatstone himself, a fitting tribute to the man who first opened the window into virtual space.
To explore more about Charles Wheatstone’s life and legacy, we recommend visiting our partners at Hexology and the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy, who are doing incredible work to preserve and share the history of stereoscopic imaging.
