These are exciting times for pixels and atoms alike. Yesterday was the launch of the Structure Sensor campaign on Kickstarter. In just over 24 hours the Structure developers, Occipital in San Francisco, have quadrupled their funding goal and raised nearly $400,000 with 43 days left to go. And for good reason. With a tap of the screen the sensor lets you measure a room, make a 3D model from real life objects and send the files directly to your iOS device.

Here’s a brief overview of the Structure Sensor’s functionality: “With the Structure Sensor attached to your mobile device, you can walk around the world and instantly capture it in a digital form. This means you can capture 3D maps of indoor spaces and have every measurement in your pocket. You can instantly capture 3D models of objects and people for import into CAD and for 3D printing. You can play mind blowing augmented reality games where the real world is your game world.

The Structure Sensor has been designed from the ground up to be mobile. We put a lot of thought into making the Structure Sensor work perfectly with the iPad and other mobile devices. The goal was to make a device that enabled incredible 3D sensing applications, was easy to use, had great battery life, was compact, and looked like beautiful, precision hardware.”

Though it’s still a prototype I believe that devices like the Structure Sensor are the missing link to getting 3D design tools into the hands of regular people. We’re keeping our eye on these guys. Head to Structure.io for more in-depth specs and news or, better yet, become a backer and get first crack at testing one in February 2014.