Modified 3D printer helps users draw self-portraits
Through a few modifications, a pair of Brooklyn-based designers have created a 3D printer that can help the user to draw a self-portrait, Co.Design recently reported.
According to the news source, Blind Self Portrait (the name of the custom 3D printer) works in conjunction with a laptop camera. One of the creators, Kyle McDonald, developed a computer vision algorithm for drawing facial contours, while his partner, Matt Mets, created a table that moves beneath the user's hand. By doing so, the table effectively guides a pen, drawing the image created on the computer.
For the machine to work, the news source noted that users must close their eyes and relax their arms. The 3D printer does the rest.
The device can be used by anyone, regardless of artistic skill level. The news source noted that when the project was first demonstrated at the monthly Slapdash exhibition, users included young children and experienced artists. While the end products do not qualify as masterpieces, they are almost certainly more advanced and accurate that what many individuals can produce independently.
The creators said they chose to focus on a 3D printer for making self-portraits "mostly for the irony," according to Co.Design.
While most discussions of 3D printing revolve around the industrial or scientific applications of the technology, it has also been used extensively in the creative world. Earlier this year, Daniel Hilldrup used Objet 3D printers to create "Fragments in Time," a project featured in the London Pride Festival of Art Design, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 60th year on the British throne.
Hilldrup explained that his work is "often influenced and motivated by technology."