PalaeoPi, which began operations almost a year ago, is developing a photogrammetry-powered 3D scanner called MKIII TablePi for purposes including archaeology.
Oxford University Innovation, the institution’s tech transfer office, formally announced a UK-based spinout called PalaeoPi today to commercialise digital 3D modelling technology for purposes including archaeology.
Founded in January 2018, PalaeoPi has designed a 3D scanner called MKIII TablePi that quickly creates digital models of small to medium-sized objects based on more than 200 high-resolution photographs shot from three digital SLR cameras.
The approach relies on a technique called photogrammetry, the collection of precise measurements from photographs. MKIII TablePi follows an initial prototype of the technology partially made from Lego.
PalaeoPi will initially cater to archaeological science clients from the heritage and university sectors, but could also find applications in video games, virtual reality, CGI design and animation.
The spinout also provides photogrammetry consultancy services including training, troubleshooting, method development and proof-of-concept prototyping.
PalaeoPi advances the work of founder Richard Benjamin Allen, a research support officer at the School of Archaeology, and Ardern Hulme-Beaman, an early career fellow from University of Liverpool’s Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.
Allen said: “PalaeoPi is helping institutions and companies to develop and maintain their own expertise in photogrammetry.
“We are doing this through customer-led R&D, publication of research with university partners and long-term support of an automated platform that is easy to customise, easy to repair, easy to retrofit, and modular with backwards compatibility in mind.”
– Feature image courtesy of PalaeoPi
