Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Smithsonian Releases 3D Models of Artifacts

Posted by Soulskill on from the creep-out-your-neighbors-with-lincoln's-face dept.

plover writes "The Seattle Times reports, 'The Smithsonian Institution is launching a new 3D scanning and printing initiative to make more of its massive collection accessible to schools, researchers and the public worldwide. A small team has begun creating 3D models of some key objects representing the breadth of the collection at the world's largest museum complex. Some of the first 3D scans include the Wright brothers' first airplane, Amelia Earhart's flight suit, casts of President Abraham Lincoln's face during the Civil War and a Revolutionary War gunboat. Less familiar objects include a former slave's horn, a missionary's gun from the 1800s and a woolly mammoth fossil from the Ice Age. They are pieces of history some people may hear about but rarely see or touch.' So far they have posted 20 models, with the promise of many more to come." They even have a model supernova remnant.

7 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. "A former slave's horn" by Joining+Yet+Again · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, that's a fairly sophisticated if culturally aware euphemism.

  2. Time for slivers... by grub · · Score: 4, Funny


    I want to print a 3D model of Washington's wooden teeth and put them in my RealDoll!

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  3. Yawn. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wake me up when they've scanned the original Enterprise.

  4. Re:I want the secrets by s.petry · · Score: 2

    According to reports, there were over 18,000 mummies sent to the Smithsonian, one a guy in a full set of copper armor with a copper crown. The Smithsonian claimed that they don't know what happened to them when sent inquiries.

    Numerous people in the 1800s started claiming that they should not send anything else to the institute lest they become "lost", but of course these city councilmen, archeologists, engineers, etc.. were just "crazy conspiracy theories".

    I think they should allow volunteers to start digging through those troves and finding things. How many American Indian artifacts are collecting dust? And those don't require any conspiracy theories to determine that they have a stash.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  5. bad license by Kevin+Fishburne · · Score: 3, Insightful

    http://www.si.edu/termsofuse

    Hopefully those models aren't covered under their site's general license (bans commercial use), as it would be awesome to be able to use these in games.

    --
    Buy your next Linux PC at eightvirtues.com
  6. "a missionary's gun from the 1800s" by sehlat · · Score: 2

    These days, just bringing the STL file to school might get you expelled.

  7. Re:HA! YOU FOOLS! by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 2

    I'm going to use my 3D printer to print out my OWN artifacts and have my OWN Smithsonian and collect all that delicious entrance fee money...

    With blackjack? And hookers?