Imagine taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower while on a vacation to Paris. But that’s not all. Imagine returning home with your phone, plugging it into a 3-D printer, and creating a tangible recreation of your photo—something you can hold in your hand or put on your mantel, a souvenir of your own making. Microsoft Research wants to make this happen.
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/microsoft-wants-turn-phone-3-d-scanner/