Dr. Robert Reisz is responsible for the vertebrate palaeontology research group at the University of Toronto's Mississauga Campus. Recently, Dr. Reisz arrived at Arius3D with a spectacular one of a kind fossil for digital scanning. The fossil, a 190 million year old fossil that came from South Africa, was a unique specimen that had been prepared under a high magnification dissecting microscope and revealed a baby dinosaur embryo perfectly curled up inside one of the eggs.
The goal for Arius3D was to digitally scan the entire fossil with a goal of creating a perfect digital archive record of the specimen along with a physical copy of the fossil. As is the case with many unique fossils, this fossil was to be returned to its home at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa allowing the digital model to be further studied by researchers around the world.
The Arius3D color scanning technology was used to capture more then 3.7 million unique colored points from the surface of the fossil at a resolution of 100 microns in the X and Y axis, and 25 microns in the Z axis. Based on original NRC research, the Arius3D Foundation System is recognized as the only three-dimensional measurement system that simultaneously captures color and geometry from real world objects. The non-contact laser light measurement cannot harm objects or artifacts in any way. The Arius3D process is not affected by ambient light, so it provides the most accurate and precise image possible. Once an object’s image is captured it can be redeployed in a multitude of resolutions and in a range of file formats.
The technology allows researchers and educators to continue their research and share their findings around the world.
The research has been published in Science and can be found in Volume 309, July 29, 2005. For more information on this project, please visit the following link: http://stream.arius3d.com/robertreisz.asf
Arius3D creates digital imaging solutions that enable organizations to research, present, and share unique physical objects in digital form.
The Arius3D three-dimensional color scanners and the Pointstream imaging software support wide ranging applications in culture and heritage, research, education, and entertainment.
Vertebrate Paleontology
Dr. Robert Reisz, University of Toronto
190 Million Year Old Massospondylus Fossil
Close-up view of skeletal embryo
