Bloomington Leader

Art historians and high school robotics clubs benefit from expertise in 3D printing at Indiana University's Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. Two key projects showcasing the school's resources include an exhibition at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and a robotics initiative led by associate professor Goren Gordon.

The Athens exhibition, named "Imag(in)ing Samothrace: From Homer to the HoloLens," utilizes 3D-printed reproductions of original sculptural fragments from the Greek isle of Samothrace. These reproductions allow visitors to reconstruct the pediment of the Hieron, offering an interactive experience. Nicole Miller, director of the 3D Fabrication and Design Inquiry Labs at the Luddy School, explained, "This collaboration is about taking an intangible object — a file of an ancient sculpture that has been 3D scanned for preservation — and turning it back into a tangible object that people can pick up and handle."

Goren Gordon is developing a social robot that can be assembled by students from high school or middle school using off-the-shelf parts and 3D-printed components, all for under $300. "This is going to be something that high school or even middle school students in STEM can build by themselves start to finish with a 3D-print file and some links to resources on Amazon," Gordon stated.

ProtoLab, located in Myles Brand Hall on the IU Bloomington campus, serves as the hub for these activities. The facility is one of four makerspaces composing the 3D Fabrication and Design Inquiry Labs and is outfitted with advanced 3D-printing technology. The labs provide over 6,000 square feet of makerspaces equipped with a range of tools including 41 3D printers, a CNC router, and laser cutters.

Faculty and students can order 3D-printed parts via the labs' web portal, and the staff is available to advise on how best to utilize the resources. "We support tons of curriculum and research with our labs," Miller said. "Students are especially printing all kinds of things."

The Athens art exhibit was facilitated by Bernie Frischer, a digital archaeologist and emeritus professor at the Luddy School.

IU's Luddy School continues to be a valuable asset for a diverse range of projects, from ancient art restoration to modern robotics education.