Maker Nabs A 3D Model Of Marcus Aurelius With Google Glass

In what looks to be a first for the technology, designer and engineer Todd Blatt took 30 pictures of a bust of Marcus Aurelius with Google Glass and created a downloadable 3D model that you can grab and print.

Blatt writes:

I just walked around the work, repeating, “ok glass, take a picture” over and over, 30 shots in total. No real care in aiming the shot. I just looked at it and that’s it. Then I manually uploaded the photos from Google Autobackup to 123D Catch on my computer and proceeded as normal with the regular scanning/123d process.

Obviously Blatt had some prior experience with the gear and the tools required to build a 3D model but it’s fascinating that, in a few minutes, he was able to render a physical object digitally and then reprint it. These methods aren’t foolproof, but they’re very nearly so.

What does this mean for the future? Well, almost anything can be copied now, from a car to a tourist’s trinket. It also means that nothing is “safe” anymore – all it takes for IP theft of object designs to happen is a few winks with a good enough camera. Look for this to also affect the uptake of glass in the corporate world. If I were a designer I definitely wouldn’t want some weirdo coming in and snapping my objects with Glass.

You can also buy a copy of the bust here, which should give museums pause if they’re worried about losing gift shop business.