Benefits across several domains including healthcare, manufacturing and automotive expected to boost the adoption of 3D imaging technology

3D imaging technology with its boundless possibilities in upcoming products is altering processes and methods across industries and enhancing lives. The technology's influence spans from mobile phone apps to effective surgeries to high-tech military and space imaging. Coupled with the rapid adoption is the commercialization of the technology with companies achieving cost effective developments and manufacturing of stereo devices.

A wide array of businesses is integrating 3D imaging into mainstream devices such as 3D sensors, displays, cameras, sonography devices enabling a 360-degree view of products and better visualization. In the manufacturing and automotive sectors, 3D viewing enhances modeling, designing, previewing and rectifying capabilities in manufacturing. In defense and security sector the technology has increased accuracy for target detection, simulation, and facial identification.

3D imaging is being widely adopted across industries such as electronic devices, entertainment, healthcare, automotive, defense, architecture, engineering, and automation. Innovations in the industry give rise to novel areas of application to harness data enhancements and augmented experiences offered by the technology.

The global 3D imaging systems market is poised to exhibit healthy growth with rapid development in technology, leading to the widespread application of these techniques which is creating demand leading to market growth. The improved efficiency of work process by use of these systems is further expected to boost market growth. Alongside, supporting technologies ranging from 3D viewing glasses, theatrics to 3D printing is being updated rapidly transforming prospects for the industry.

3D medical imaging has witnessed innovations with the launching of portable devices, providing a detailed view of cases enabling early diagnosis of diseases. Technologies such as Google cardboard combined with imaging have made a walk through viewing angles in complicated surgeries possible, empowering surgeons with access to certain intricate organs, easing operations and saving lives. With virtual reality simulations stepping to reality, doctors can work on 360-degree views of organs during operations providing crucial information. Surgeons can plan procedures beforehand with improved understanding and data visualization.

Visualization systems find application in various clinical departments, which include radiology, cardiology, neurology, oncology, and dentistry. These techniques have resulted in the development of some critical insights in the related fields which instigated research and development in this domain.

Consumer use of 3D imaging is growing rapidly, development of 3D image viewing apps for cell phones pioneered by Apple allowing the users to capture interactive 3D images using mobile phones. The trend is getting popular across mobile devices, and app developers as usage in advertisement and promotion are expected to offer advertisers stereoscopic product views replacing the current method using multiple 2D images. Media giants such as Apple, Google, Sony are introducing consumers to 3D imaging in day-to-day applications. Google is integrating 3D technology in navigations and street views making the experience more intuitive.

3D imaging is proving to be a boon in modeling and designing by using a combination of 3D technologies to visualize, render and virtual prototyping. It has led to reduced process time, optimal resource utilization and faster new product development.

With real-time viewing experience, consumers are increasingly seeking 3D imaging in entertainment, and key players in the industry are now developing content massively to engross this segment of technology savvy users. Virtual reality is gaining importance in gaming, entertainment, military, and education. Augmented and virtual reality simulations in wearable headsets are stepping show to a personalized level. Entertainment and education sectors also exhibit substantial growth owing to numerous potential application which provides untapped markets for growth. The rapid adaptation of computer-driven training may also incentivize educational institutes to employ visualization systems, which is likely to favor market growth. However sophisticated systems, owing to a high price, may find limited applications which could impede growth.

Stereoscopy, Anaglyph, and autostereoscopy are being used presently for content creation and device manufacturing. Furthermore, developments autostereoscopy can be classified as holography, lenticular lens, volumetric displays and a parallax barrier. Research in holography has introduced possibilities of low-cost, high-efficiency across applications across devices.

Key players in the industry are focusing on technological developments for rapid commercial adoption, superior quality content & products and cost efficiency in the technology aiming at market penetration to achieve benefits of volume production. Certain factors still pose challenges to growth such as high investments, considerably lower returns on investments and developments in 4D technology.