Perhaps the time has finally come for the HP Sprout. When the original product was announced in late-2014, the 3D scanning all-in-one felt like little more than a curiosity than a commercial product. In the subsequent couple of years, however, the company’s fellow hardware producers have been making a major push toward 3D creation and consumption, thanks to the explosion of VR and AR devices.
And then, of course, there’s Microsoft, which went all-in earlier this year with the launch of Windows 10 Creators Update and the Surface Studio, products that appeared as if they might actually help the whole thing go a bit more mainstream.
Accordingly, HP just announced the line’s second-gen product, the Sprout Pro. The new version is built around the same unique form factor, featuring a 3D scanner and projector, coupled with a touch input mat.
But the latest model seems to be angling for a different market, with increased processing power, improved 3D scanning and a higher-res projector, the company is looking toward educational and business applications, including retail kiosks and manufacturers.
The new Sprout is due out in March, but the company has yet to offer actual pricing for the thing. The first generation version ran $1,600 (along with a number of bundles including things like 3D printers), so we can likely expect something in that general ballpark.