NuSpatial has patented a system (“Backpack Scanning System”) that accelerates the digital scanning of structural building and places. Until this Backpack Scanning System, the primary means of collecting digital data (called “point clouds”) that could be used to reconstruct 3D CAD building models was to use terrestrial scanners. These are expensive, highly accurate scanners mounted on a tripod which operate very slowly to collect billions of measured points at one specific spot before they move on to the next spot a few feet away. NuSpatial’s Backpack Scanning System allowed us to walk at normal speed through a building, room by room, literally taking 5-10 seconds per room and collect either 2D or 3D point cloud data. The scanning portion of a scanning effort was significantly accelerated. Design of the Backpack Scanning System was submitted for patent in December, 2012 and awarded in July, 2013. This innovation help several companies achieve faster generation of As-Built CAD models.

NuSpatial continued to innovate ways to accelerate interior scanning, particularly for the flooring industry. We developed a system (“Flooridator”) that can either be manually maneuvered or operate autonomously to roam through a building/store with product stands. It maps not only the building structure but also the product displays and flooring layout (tile or carpet dimensions, etc). Flooridator was used with several of our commercial flooring clients, such as Milliken, to document floor dimensionality and support their visualization of floor covering designs. The Flooridator system design was submitted for patent in May, 2019 and awarded in July, 2022.

NuSpatial’s most recent awarded patent and innovation is for a Scan to BIM concept (“NuMapper”). In the as-built scanning business, the goal is to generate a 3D CAD model for a building of any type and size. The process to accomplish this is very time consuming, and therefore expensive. It involves two main phases: collection of a 3D point cloud for all interior spaces, and conversion of the collected point cloud into a 3D CAD model using commercial software. The whole process requires advanced skills across several disciplines, as well as expensive equipment and software. In an effort to shorten the process and achieve comparable accuracies, NuSpatial developed NuMapper to support a process that results in a 3D CAD model before the user leaves the building. NuMapper’s design was submitted for patent in Oct, 2020 and awarded in Nov, 2022.