Wikipedia in 3D[edit]

Wikipedia's relationship with open source hardware. (explained through the medium of Star Trek)

3d printers and other ways of translating physical object to be

This is the 24th century, material needs no longer exist....the challenge is to improve yourself, to enrich yourself, enjoy. ~ Jean-Luc Picard

I’m interested in how information relates to the physical world, and how Wikimedia projects can aid people’s understanding of the world around them.

The project I have been involved with MonmouthpediA and GibraltarpediA are attempts to connect people with information about the things around them in their own language, rudimentary Star Trek Tricorder and Universal translator.

I’m not a programmer or an engineer, I like to fiddle with things and see what they can do. I think 3D modelling including photogrammetry, low cost 3D printing and providing ???blueprints??? (don’t know if that’s the right word) on Wikipedia could potentially vastly improve our understanding of our environment and give us the tools to improve it.

Photogrammetry[edit]

A process of taking several photographs of an object or environment and generating a 3d model of the object, again a basic function of my much wanted tricorder. I have had most luck with two free programs that are fairly quick to learn how to use and well documented and don’t need a fast computer to run or a fancy camera, I've used my phone before but a high resolution (5MP+) is helpful. There are two sorts of 3d model I have created using free software:

Gibraltar 1 Neandertal skull, 3d model, created with 123d Catch.

Wireframe models using 123d Catch which creates a wireframe of the object and then adds a surface texture, it is less forgiving of errors and missing information than point clouds but gives a much more detailed representation of objects.

Point clouds are points that map the surface of an object, they are much forgiving for complicated objects and environments. To create these I've used Photosynth, my photosynth projects are here some are more successful than others. It's lovely to think about crowdsourcing 3d models of whole towns or cities point clouds could be combined, there may even be enough photos on commons of certain places, I have tried to recreate Michelangelo's David from open license images with limited success (see below). There are other ways of doing this that are relatively cheap including using a Kinect game controller and open source software although I haven't tried this yet.

It is possible to clean the models up with one of the free 3D modelling programs, I use Blender (badly).

Monmouth Castle point cloud, created with Photosynth
The point cloud seen from above, no photos were taken from this angle
Michelangelo's David point cloud created using freely licensed images, not much detail is visible due to the lack of good resolution images.

There are already many sites offering free open licence models that could be added to Wikipedia including 123D Catch, including this model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex Photosynth: including this model of Arles Amphitheatre Thingiverse, where people have already started to document museum collections in 3d under a CC-BY-SA license.

I think of this as the equivalent of a pop up book, allowing people to potentially understand environments and objects in new ways including:

Allow people virtual access to sites that they have no other way of visiting either through physical distance or restricted access

A way museums and other institutions of all sizes could create better documentation of their collection for basically free and offer a more rich way of viewing objects not on display.

An amazing addition for articles about living creatures, a lot of it would need to be photographed from taxidermy (as with everything there are copyright issues with taxidermy).

Some progress is already being done including the wonderful work by User:emw who I met at Wikimania this year who has created an extension to allow interactive 3D models of proteins and DNA on Wikipedia, large libraries of 3d models exist for molecules already that could be used. Open projects do exist for displaying 3d models online by Mozilla and Google (thanks to emw for the links).

As always there may be copyright and trademark issues

3D printing[edit]

online learning platforms with excellent content

offer academic understanding on many different subjects

but cannot offer hands on experience

learning styles

in schools, producing teaching aids from already available 3d models

mail order 3d models

3D printing is the process of creating a 3d object from a computer file, usually through an additive process, like a cross between a normal printer and geological deposition. By combining 3d printing and photogrammetry I can see in it the beginnings of a Replicator :)

There are many 3D printers

Reprap 3d printer, a project at Bath University with the aim of creating a self replicating machine, at the moment the 3d printer that is able to replicate around 50% of it’s self. Currently around £500 may reduce very quickly

Reprap has a community, in many ways similar to the Wikipedia community

Learning through making

create better parts which can be printed on the printer they are to be installed on, allowing you to download hardware updates

a person http://www.omote3d.com/product/index.html

crowd funded project to create 3d printers http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/formlabs/form-1-an-affordable-professional-3d-printer

Extremely cheap manufacturing

potential for using Wikipedia as a repository for 3d models

A huge array of applications:

Researchers at duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delware created a custom exoskeleton for a young girl with Arthrogryposis

Should commons hold 3d models potentially dangerous objects like a knife or a gun (something that is starting to happen now)?

I think 3d printing with open source models has quite large implications for society, harnessing people's creativity in new ways and potentially disruptive to current economic models based on scarcity of resources based and the production capability of the individual, including people being able to chose to make objects in biodegradable materials.

NASA and the US army are already trialing it.

produce human cartilage replacement

very cheap printing of educational models could be used by schools and individuals

anatomic human foot, mouse skull (from micro CT scan), a printable vacuum pump , RNA Polymerase, Automatic Transmission Model

The first examples of people creating their own 3d printed prosthetics are starting to happen [http://www.ted.com/talks/tal_golesworthy_how_i_repaired_my_own_heart.html%20 high

There are many open source design projects that use collaborative testing and designing to improve upon previous iterations and solve problems in new ways including cleaning up oil spills.

Blueprints[edit]

List of open source hardware projects