Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Resurrecting antiquities with 3D printing?

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: 3D Printers Could Save ISIS-destroyed Treasures, Archaeologists Believe. Institute of Digital Archaeology announces $3.1 million project aimed at flooding Middle East with 3D cameras. and cataloging items endangered by jihadist militants (Haaretz).
A team of archaeologists from the Oxford-based Institute of Digital Archaeology have launched a project aimed at preserving Middle Eastern historical sites at risk from jihadist militants based largely on 3D printing.

According a report from British daily The Times, experts behind the $3.1 million project hope to "flood the Middle East with 3D cameras" and catelogue every threatened item, including but not limited to artifacts, buildings and monuments

The archaeologists believe they can recreate and reconstruct items  destroyed by militants with the high-tech yet relatively new printing technology.

[...]
This would be a poor substitute, but I suppose better than nothing.

Background here and links.