HP Sprout Pro Brings 3D Scanning And VR To Education And Enterprise Markets

Remember HP's weird looking Sprout PC introduced several months ago? Now there's a new version, the Sprout Pro, and this time around HP is focusing on education and enterprise customers who are in better position to utilize the PC's unique setup and capabilities. And by unique, we mean emphasizing its built-in projector and touch mat over the standard keyboard and mouse combo.

If you strip away its special features, the Sprout Pro is a capable all-in-one PC with a 23-inch display featuring a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) resolution and 10-point touch support. It also boasts a 6th generation Intel Core i7-6700 processor based on Intel's Skylake architecture, 8GB of DDR4-2133 RAM (expandable to 16GB), NVIDIA GeForce GT 945A graphics with 1GB of GDDR5 memory, and a 1TB solid state hybrid drive with 8GB of flash acceleration cache.


It has the usual assortment of ports and connectivity, including dual USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, 3-in-1 media card reader, GbE LAN, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. DTS Sound, a 1-megapixel webcam, and Windows 10 Pro round out the standard feature-set.

What's not so standard about this AIO is the HP Illuminator. It's a contraption that hangs over the top of the monitor and houses Intel's RealSense 3D camera and projection engine. Students and professionals can place objects on the aforementioned touch mat and scan in either 2D or 3D, manipulate them in software, and then print out their customized creations using a 3D printer.

HP isn't wrong in marketing the Sprout Pro to educators, though it's $2,200 price tag could make it cost prohibitive, especially in an era where school budgets have a tendency to be slashed. But for those who can afford it, the Sprout PC is a neat tool that's a far cry from the Apple II systems we played Oregon Trail on back in the day.

The Sprout Pro will be available to purchase next month.