Using an Xbox Kinect for a full body scan, British artist Luke Jerram has created a pixel sculpture of his daughter, Maya, which is displayed on a train station platform in Bristol. From a distance, concerned passers-by may question the lone girl, but on approach, she distorts into large pixels formed by aluminium and stickers.
To create the effect, Jerram took a scan with his Kinect sensor, as well as photos and separate detailed facial scans, to create the 3D CAD model. He then printed out the pixels using aluminium sheets which are stacked on top of each other to form the sculpture. It was a detailed and lengthy process, and one that he describes in more detail on his site:
To make this artwork Maya was scanned using an Xbox kinect. Her head was scanned at the Machine Vision Laboratory (MVL) within the University of West of England. From there the body scan was then pixelated into cubes known as voxels. Then the model was created from precisely (waterjet) cut, sheets of aluminium.
For the colours, stickers were printed and then individually attached to the aluminium extrusions - a precise, monotonous and painstaking process in which we should hold the upmost respect that the artist didn"t give up just moments into the task!
Simply titled "Maya," the instalment can be seen on Platform 1 of the Bristol Temple Meads train station for all those interested in visiting her.
Source: Luke Jerram via Polygon