Scanner may refer to:

Technology

For invisible radiation

* Scanner (radio), for searching for and receiving radio broadcasts * An

outside broadcasting Outside broadcasting (OB) is the electronic field production (EFP) of television or radio programmes (typically to cover television news and sports television events) from a mobile remote broadcast television studio. Professional video camera ...

control vehicle * A rotating

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

antenna * Neutron scanner, a scanner which utilizes neutrons to penetrate objects for analysis

For (near) light

Image scanner An image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting or an object and converts it to a digital image. Commonly used in offices are variations of the desktop ''flatbed scanner'' ...

, which digitizes a two-dimensional image **

3D scanner 3D scanning is the process of analyzing a real-world object or environment to collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance (e.g. color). The collected data can then be used to construct digital 3D models. A 3D scanner can be based on m ...

, which digitizes the three-dimensional shape of a real object *

Motion picture film scanner A motion picture film scanner is a device used in digital filmmaking to scan original film for storage as high-resolution digital intermediate files. A film scanner scans original film stock: negative or positive print or reversal/IP. Units may s ...

, which scans original film for storage as a digital file *

Barcode reader A barcode reader is an optical scanner that can read printed barcodes, decode the data contained in the barcode to a computer. Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a lens and a light sensor for translating optical impulses into ...

, which reads the data encoded in a barcode * Laser scanner, which guides a laser beam along a path, sometimes combined with a measurement * Stepper, a part of the photolithography process * A

biometric Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify in ...

scanner, an electronic device with a sensor to read patterns or images from faces, irises, and finger pads to create a biological template or profile * An automated

spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...

Computer software

Port scanner A port scanner is an application designed to probe a server or host for open ports. Such an application may be used by administrators to verify security policies of their networks and by attackers to identify network services running on a host ...

, in computer networking *

Virus scanner Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware. Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the nam ...

Vulnerability scanner A vulnerability scanner is a computer program designed to assess computers, networks or applications for known weaknesses. These scanners are used to discover the weaknesses of a given system. They are utilized in the identification and detecti ...

, a computer program that probes for weaknesses *

Lexical analyzer In computer science, lexical analysis, lexing or tokenization is the process of converting a sequence of characters (such as in a computer program or web page) into a sequence of ''lexical tokens'' ( strings with an assigned and thus identified ...

, a computer program *

WikiScanner WikiScanner (also known as Wikipedia Scanner) was a publicly searchable database that linked anonymous edits on Wikipedia to the organizations where those edits apparently originated. It did this by cross-referencing the edits with data on the ow ...

, a tool that provided a searchable database of anonymous Wikipedia edits * Scanner, a disk space analyzing and management tool for Microsoft Windows *

, a device to digitize paper documents

Medical

MRI scanner The physics of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) concerns fundamental physical considerations of MRI techniques and technological aspects of MRI devices. MRI is a medical imaging technique mostly used in radiology and nuclear medicine in order ...

* CT scanner

Other

* An automotive

electronic control unit An electronic control unit (ECU), also known as an electronic control module (ECM), is an embedded system in automotive electronics that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a car or other motor vehicle. Modern vehic ...

diagnostic tool

Popular culture

Scanner (band) Scanner is a German power metal band that was formed in 1986. Three of the band members had previously taken part in an album release by the band Lions Breed, ''Damn the Night'' (Earthshaker 1985). The band changed its name to Scanner, adoptin ...

, a German speed metal band * Scanners (band), an alternative band from London * Scanner, the stage name of British electronic musician

Robin Rimbaud Robin Rimbaud is an electronic musician who works under the name Scanner due to his use of cell phone and police scanners in live performance. He is also a member of the band Githead with Wire's Colin Newman and Malka Spigel and Max Franken fro ...

* Scanner (Code Lyoko), a fictional teleportation device * Scanner (''Half-Life''), a floating enemy in the ''Half-Life'' video game series * ''

Scanners ''Scanners'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, "scanners" are psychics with unusual telepathi ...

'', a 1981 science fiction horror film * "Scanners" (''Superstore''), an episode of the television series ''Superstore''