Ruins and remnants of ancient civilizations like the Mayans and Incans have been discovered all over the Americas, but as time ravages them to dust, it becomes gradually more difficult to gain information about these long-lost peoples. If only we had a way to preserve a tangible replica of these ruins that wouldn’t deteriorate any further, like a photograph you can touch. Something like, say… a 3D printer?
Researchers from the University of California have been studying the ruins of an Incan city known as “Pumapunku” off the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Much of Pumapunku remains, albeit in slabs and fragments, but these fragments are much too large to move to a laboratory for detailed study. Utilizing a 3D printer, the researchers created scale models of the fragments, taking care to recreate every angle and imperfection. Once the models are created, they are scanned into a 3D computer imaging program, where they are rendered as movable entities. In this way, the dilapidated fragments can be freely reassembled like building blocks. With the help of culture researchers over the last 150 years (and a bit of trial and error), the team was able to create multiple dioramas of the scanned parts of the city, fully intact and ready for in-depth study.
Creating the physical models before using the computer gives the researchers a better idea of their scale and structure, and shows a fascinating step in the archaeological field.
