HP Sprout

It's hard to find the words to describe the funky but creative HP Sprout system, but let's give it a go: it's a desktop computer with a projector that scans physical items, turns them digital in a few seconds and allows you to manipulate the images using your fingers.

Boiled down: It's a blend of what we already know — the standard computer, letting you check email, surf the web, write documents and so on — with a touch of the future, particularly in the form of having a "touch mat" instead of a traditional keyboard and the ability to instantly make 3D objects into scans.

See also: HP reinvents the PC with Sprout and leaps into 3D printing

The concept is targeted mostly toward artists, designers, architects and publishers. Truth be told, it's one of the most innovative approaches to computing we've seen in a while. In some ways, it feels like a gimmick — HP's attempt to make a splash in the 3D printing and imaging space — but in other ways, it feels like the start of something bigger.

Image: Mashable, Luke Leonard

First, HP's Sprout system ($1,899) — which is available for pre-sale now on Sprout.com and will start shipping Nov. 9 — is a fully functional desktop computer that runs Windows 8.1 software. While Sprout ships with a 20-inch touchscreen monitor, a physical keyboard and a mouse, there's the option for a digital keyboard via its touch mat you can use in its place. It also comes with a stylus, which will likely come in handy when designing.

Sprout's flagship feature is the ability to turn 3D objects into scans that appear on your screen seconds later, letting you morph them any way you'd like. And you can share your workspace with colleagues too, so they can add to what you're working on, even if they're not in the same room.

Image: Mashable, Luke Leonard

When it's time to do a scan, there's a small button at the base of the monitor that directs you to the Sprout home screen. At the top of the monitor sits what HP calls an "illuminator," with several cameras featured within, in addition to a projector, a scanner and a 3D depth sensor. The cameras capture 3D images of actual objects you put on the workspace and once they are scanned, you'll be able to tinker with them via the software.

In a demo test, Mashable put a toy wheel on the touch mat. Once we started the scanning process, which took about 15 seconds, the 3D scan appeared on screen and was saved in an image library. By swiping a finger on the monitor's touchscreen, we were able to move the 3D-scanned toy wheel to the workspace board and adjust the size by pinching it smaller or zooming it out to make it better.

So why would you want something like this? Creative types who want to blend the physical and virtual world will find the platform extremely useful. And because the platform is collaborative, it makes working with remote colleagues significantly easier. For example, I could make the scan of the toy wheel a certain size, and then my colleague could show me how it would look bigger or in different colors on the fly. You can set up video conferencing at the same time, too.

Image: Mashable, Luke Leonard

Another use case would be to take a picture of a face, have it scanned into the system and add other elements to that image, such as pictures of jewelry or hats, if a fashion designer (for example) were working on various looks.

Image: Mashable, Luke Leonard

And because the price point is certainly an investment, there are other features you can use beyond what you'd want in the workplace: there are a ton of apps, including one from Crayola, that lets kids paint, design, draw and manipulate scans too. While some apps are free, others will be available for a fee via Sprout's marketplace.

Image: Mashable, Luke Leonard

It's a little too soon to see how well Sprout will be adopted, but one thing is for sure: it's different, it's strange and we like it.