A tiny portable scanner that connects wirelessly to phones, tablets and computers has significantly surpassed its goal on Kickstarter. After aiming for $50,000 stretch goal mark it’s hit $236,800 with 2,104 backers. It’s different because it uses photo stitching, so it’s far more versatile than normal scanner technology.
PocketScan performs character recognition for 130 languages. The device measures 95 x 50 x 27 mm, weighs 85g and can scan 400 times between charges. In addition to flat 2D surfaces, it can also scan texture because it doesn’t use a photo function like other scanners but rather a patented computer vision and robotic algorithm that uses images stitching, not photo capturing. It connects via Bluetooth/iBeacon to PCs, Mac or iPads. Tables are transformed into Excel-Sheets and Documents can be edited in Word.
Its investors include Wellington Partners, Schwyzer Kantonalbank (a Swiss bank), Hans-Peter Metzler ( a serial entrepreneur in Austria), among others.
The cheapest PocketScan costs $99 on Kickstarter, at a $50 discount, and its makers hope to ship it in December. Competitors include NeatReceipts and ScanSnap.
The Swiss company behind PocketScan, Dacuda, was founded in 2009 as spin-off company from ETH Zurich by former students of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the University of St. Gallen (HSG). Smart people.