The speed and accuracy of laser scanning makes it ideal for a wide variety of medical applications. In this case, a company that designs active-function artificial finger prostheses for partial-finger amputees needed high-resolution, 3-D scans of two small hand casts.

The scans, which were accurate to a twentieth of a millimeter, were used to generate virtual models that could be examined from any angle, allowing for highly precise machining--and a very close fit.