A new technology might help archaeologists to understand how our ancient civilizations came to be and what life was like for them. The technology combines a laptop, a scanner and a laser rangefinder, which is attached to a turntable. This technology could help archaeologists to understand life on the ancient island of Thera 3500 years ago, by studying pieces of paintings. The researchers at Princeton used simple hardware, which could be operated by archaeologists to assemble fragments of frescoes and paintings that were damaged over a period of time and then study them. Employing a powerful algorithm, the processing system mirrors what actually happens at an archaeological site. A fragment of a painting is placed on a turntable and a laser rangefinder measures its visible surface from various points. This analysis would also involve the detailed study of the paintings and what they might have meant. The computer would thus take up all the laborious tasks and leave the intuitive tasks to humans.
Via: Photonics
