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A 3D Portrait of Pres. Obama

USC ICT and The Smithsonian create the first 3D portrait of a sitting president
By: Regina Wu
June 25, 2014 —

The USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) was part of a Smithsonian-lead team which created a 3D portrait of President Barack Obama, the first such portrait ever done of a sitting president. A modified Light Stage, a high-speed system with eight cameras and 50 LED lights that capture detailed shape and reflectance properties of a face in seconds, recorded the President's facial features in high-resolution. The Light Stage data was processed by the ICT Graphics Lab team, and subsequently combined with additional data capture by the Smithsonian team to create a life-sized bust of the president.

Below is a sampling of recent media articles about this accomplishment.  

We've heard of 3D printers potentially creating everything from pizzas to a pancreas. But the newest development in the burgeoning technology is a president—well, his face and shoulders, anyway.

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To his list of firsts, Barack Obama can add that he was the first U.S. President to have himself scanned and 3D printed. Obama's 3D-printed bust and mold of his face were on display Wednesday (June 18) at the first-ever White House Maker Faire, a celebration of students and entrepreneurs who are using technology to create new products and businesses, according to the Smithsonian Institution.

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Would someone please give the president some pupils? The Smithsonian has created a bust of the president from plastic resin using a 3D printer. Which is very cool and 21st century and completely fit for an era where the president is declaring that we’re going to do things like map the human brain.

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US President Barack Obama has become the first world leader to be scanned by 3D printer. A Smithsonian Institution- led team of digital imaging specialists scanned the facial and bust data of the president earlier this year and reproduced it with a 3D printer.

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A team at the Smithsonian Institution has scanned President Barack Obama to create the first 3D printed portrait of a sitting president.
Digital imaging specialists recently created a 3D printed bust and life mask of Obama, which will become part of his presidential depictions in the National Portrait Gallery collection. Both were shown Wednesday at a gathering of inventors, entrepreneurs and students at the White House.

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Don't waste your time reading that highly recommended article ranked at the top of the webpage! A recent study finds that a more interesting one may be lurking at the bottom. In today's Information Age, it's easy get overwhelmed by online content. On YouTube alone, over 100 hours worth of video is uploaded every minute.

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President Obama is now the first president to have a 3D printed replica of himself. A team at the Smithsonian Institution used 3D technology to scan the president earlier this year. The final products were unveiled Wednesday at the White House Maker Faire and will eventually be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.

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A team at the Smithsonian Institution has scanned President Barack Obama to create the first 3D portrait of a sitting president.

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President Barack Obama was scanned by The Smithsonian-led team using two distinct 3D documentation processes.

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The United States’ Presidents – few groupings of individuals, if any, have the historical air about them that these 44 special men do. From presidential history buffs, to first graders just learning about the historical influence which these men had on this nation, the enthusiasm is certainly not lacking. The Smithsonian Institution is known for their amazing collection of photos, portraits, and plaster life masks of presidents, ranging from George Washington to Barack Obama.

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