It looks like February is going to be an exciting month at Sustainable Archaeology. Things started off with a bang last Friday when we attended a 3D laser scanner demonstration. The scanners were able to fully capture the artifacts in a matter of minutes, and in incredible detail - picking out all the ridges and grooves on a projectile point, and the subtle colour variation on the surface of a ceramic pot. Every aspect of an artifact can be captured with multiple scans, including rounded edges and interior surfaces, giving a full 360 degree view of an object. Sustainable Archaeology plans to have several scanners working at once, converting archaeological artifacts into digital data that will be added to our database system, allowing researchers to remotely interact with and study archaeological collections. 3D printers will also be used to create replicas of diagnostic artifacts that can be used for testing and study purposes.
