ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

3D scanner

A 3D scanner is a kind of camera that takes pictures of objects and uses them to create a detailed 3D model of the object. It works like this: it sends out beams of light and then uses the reflections from those beams of light to measure the size and shape of the object. The 3D scanner then makes a digital copy of the object that you can use in a 3D printer, or on a computer.