Campus Spotlight: Travis Ross

>> Hi. Today, we're here at the Beckman Institute on the north end of the University of Illinois campus. As you see this is a large and impressive facility. >> The Beckman Institute was founded in 1985 by Arnold Beckman who donated over 40 million dollars to the university. It's one of the first research centers to participate in interdisciplinary research and currently houses over 1000 faculty members in over 40 departments. >> Cool. In addition, the institute has a number of cutting edge labs and centers. Today, we'll be visiting the Visualization Laboratory and talk with Travis Ross the lab manager. Are you ready? >> Let's go. >> Let's get inside, it's cold out here. >> Yeah. 

>> Here we are in the Visualization Lab. We're with Travis Ross the lab manager. Travis thanks for joining us today. >> Ah hum. >> Can you tell us a bit about what happens here in this lab and the type of work that you and your colleagues engage in? >> Sure. Yeah, so this is actually part the imaging technology group which is a two group department. We have a whole slew of visualization technologies, so typically for this scientific environment, but it's growing out into our design and all of the humanities who need to in some sense do some type of advanced 3D visualization. >> Travis, I think some of our participants may not be familiar with the term. >> Yeah. >> Visualization. So, what does that mean in everyday? >> Right, it means a lot. It means different things to different people always. But on this sense, what we're talking about here in the visualization lab is typically bringing some bit of information whether it's, you know, information from a scientific research project into an image that can been seen and displayed from better communication. And we see that manifesting itself in 3D simulations where someone might actually take a CT scan of an object or a microscopic component even, or a piece of you know, some type of material, it could even be a component that they've designed and invented right here on campus. >> Okay. >> They need to CT scan that after they've invented it and the maybe even test to verify their research results. So, there's a lot of that going on. That may be one type of visualization that's happening. Another type could actually be someone who's doing design. They want to see more or feel more of what they're designing before they actually get to the point of marketing it, you know, throwing it into a product that can actually be marketed or commercialized. So, they will bring us a prototype and this is one example I'm going to show here in a minute is that you have a prototype of something that you want to experiment with and see if it actually is working the way you think it is. 

There's almost no better way than to either 3D scan an existing object, prototype, physical model, sculpture, or something design from that or take that design file and 3D print it and so when I look at 3D printing technologies and 3D scanning, I don't see two separate things. A lot of times you see people talking about like, okay 3D scanning and 3D printing and design, they're all these segmented things. I actually see, we use them as like this cyclical thing, they're all useful together and that's typically what we're dealing with. The model for example someone designed as a collaboration device. >> So, this model here on the screen? >> Yep. >> So, this is something that you're working on currently here in the lab? >> Right. This was an actual, this is a unique example of a group that's doing biological mechanics. Those are testing a system that can measure the mechanics of biological components. >> So, this is a hollow cube. >> Ah hum. >> With some spheres placed on different parts of it. >> Right. So, what they did in this, this is actually 3D, I've scanned this and I'm going to show how this works in a minute, but they design the shape in probably a CAD system, printed on a 3D printer in your facility actually. >> Okay, great. I actually saw this being printed. >> Assembled it, then a secondary process of adding the spheres and some important, they can calls these fiducials and they add these to very important points that they're going to use for measurement. >> Okay. >> Now, this is not a typical commercialized type thing, but this is important because it's going to display the concept that you can take a CAD design, 3D print it, do something to it whatever it might be, in this case it was they actually I think clued these two pieces together. >> Yeah. >> Added the spheres, and then we're going to scan it back into the computer and verify a process. This is actually extremely common in big industries so you see aerospace companies, automotive companies. >> They do this. >> Design studios doing this workflow all the time. All the time. >> So, to make sure I understand the process of this, you had a digital design. >> Yep. >> On a design software package and then that design was 3D printed to a physical object. >> Yep. >> And physical object was brought back to the lab to be scanned. >> Yeah. >> So, moving from digital to physical to digital. >> Yeah. >> Then likely the scan will produce another physical product again. Are there some other examples you'd like to show us? You have a lot of, lot's toys here in the lab. >> Yeah. Well, this is, this is a simple example of something that I was going to show. This was a, this was a test that I did for an open house once and actually I have, if you guys want to see this. >> This looks like an, like an artifact. >> It is. It's a, it's actually a clay model. >> Okay. >> I think I have it in my cabinet down here. >> Okay, so you have the model on this. >> I think it's here, yeah. >> And did you scan that with, oh great, and so this is the actual. >> Yeah. >> Clay? It looks like you may have fired this. >> So. >> And then you scanned it, now how did you scan this? What, what, which one of these tools did you use? >> The one right behind you. >> So, this thing here. >> Yeah, this is a, the maker of this is a Steinbichler it's as German company and they make structured light scanners. >> Okay. >> And the technology takes a light pattern, a verified light pattern that is actually calibrated. >> So, this is a 3D scanner? >> This is a scanner and it integrates with this turntable. >> This is a turntable, so this, this clay model would sit on the turntable. >> Yep, and. >> And it would turn, and how does the scanner work? Is it taking pictures? >> It's taking pictures of a line pattern and I'll show that here in just a minute. >> So, it's taking lots and lots of pictures. >> Yeah. >> And so it's rendering this. >> So, at each angle it's capturing different data. >> Different part of it. >> And as it does that multiple times around the model, it's filling holes, you get this and you can see it on this, on this screen here, you actually get something that looks like individual, you know, pieces of data. >> Okay. >> That is full of holes, but as it scans around you will see that you're picking up more and more data. >> Okay. >> And it starts to fill in the gaps and you have to do a few different scan passes and each scanner works a little bit different way, some of them are handheld, some of them mount to a stand like this but this one we chose because it's actually fairly easy to use. >> So, Travis what, so if we can scan and manufacture broken parts what does this mean for firms that are involved in supplying replacement parts? What does the future hold for them? >> Yeah, well that, that's an interesting market. There have been groups that have actually come to us to ask us, you know, sort of interview us on how they might do this because if you think about one of the most expensive things for companies is inventory to store all their inventory and if you didn't have to store inventory it means you would need to rent a smaller facility, so let's say your inventory is digital rather than physical and a customer comes to you for a new part or a replacement you can just print on demand or the other growing side of this is putting printers in people's garages and they can print their own parts at home. A lot of times the technology now is handheld so it's even battery powered devices that are handheld and so you can freely move around an object, whereas this is it's on the stand, it's very, you know, there's a lot more , it's a lot more difficult to move, I mean that tower by itself weighs a couple hundred pounds, so it's hard to take that in the field, but I can put this onto a regular camera tripod and move around easily. We actually use this plus another one just like it and we scan the Alma Mater which is 13 feet tall. >> Ah hum. >> When it was off the platform when it was being restored, so in a matter of three days we scanned the entire Alma Mater sculpture and so that was a big undertaking with two scanners like this one, but totally doable, I mean people using scanners like this to scan entire aircraft inside and out. >> How much would this cost, this piece of equipment? >> Well, I would say industry price is somewhere like around 100,000 dollars for the whole setup and educational pricing is always way better, so around 60 K for this, but you can get into the scanning market for 20,000 now for an actual 3D scanner. Now, the other technology that I wanted to talk briefly about which is really becoming more hipster is the what they call 3D photo reconstruction because you can actually do this for free. >> So, 3D photo reconstruction, have you heard of this? >> No, I haven't. >> So, you've probably heard of 1, 2, 3D software right? >> Yeah. >> By Autodesk right? >> Ah hum. >> They have free versions of scanning software and it all, it's not, it's technically not scanning. >> So, this is 1, 2, 3D Catches, for people who don't know about this, this is a application for your Smartphone. >> Yeah. >> And you can take out with you and you can scan objects. >> Yeah. >> In everyday life. >> Yeah, it's really cool and then companies like 3D Systems they're catching on to this need for cheap, not extremely accurate but easy to use scanning devices so that they develop this device that mounts onto an iPad and you just take your iPad walking around an object and it will start to digitize it and this is really inexpensive. >> We have one of those in our lab. >> Yeah, so they range is. >> The Sense scanner. It gets you into scanning really cheaply. >> Yeah. >> And for a lot of casual users that's going to be fine. >> Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? >> I wish I could have shown you the dinosaur model, I don't have that one. Maybe I can find it later. >> We have some dinosaurs from Allan Craig. >> Okay, yeah. >> And Jody do you have any questions? >> No. Thank you so much for answering all my questions. >> Yeah. >> Thank you Travis this is fascinating stuff. >> Yep, thanks.