Capture That Onion!

Last year artist David Bowen produced a fantastic kinetic artwork entitled "growth modeling device" in which a live onion plant is 3D scanned once every 24 hours, and then that scan is 3D printed. Amazingly, the 3D prints are then shuffled along a conveyor belt so you can see (and touch) the various stages of onion growth. 

 

The RepRap-like growth modeling device uses an unusual "mirror" method for simultaneous scanning and 3D printing, as you'll see in the video. We're wondering if this simple approach might be useful for hobbyist 3D printers as an alternative to conventional 3D capture techniques?

  

Via David Bowen