Scientist at the University of Aberdeen are using 3D imaging software to create interactive models of mummies and other ancient artifacts.
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00:00We have a number of cat mummies in the collection, and this was a nice one.
00:04Basically what we're doing is looking at some items in the University collection
00:08to make more use of them for teaching.
00:11So using photogrammetry and other techniques, we're able to create virtual versions of objects
00:16which otherwise you can't handle, other than a specialist coming in and looking at them.
00:20We're really looking at things that would be relevant to students of medicine and maybe archaeology as well,
00:25but also thinking some of the objects in the museum that are rather intriguing and attractive
00:29that would get people's attention.
00:31You are able to get that ability to look very closely, so it's not just a representation of the object,
00:35it's being able to look at the detail and really understand it, that's been really important.
00:39The question of course always is, what's inside it? Is it actually a cat mummy or not?
00:43There are cases where what's inside is not what you'd expect.
00:47We did actually have a crocodile mummy, and all that was in it was the crocodile's head, there was no body.
00:52So we wanted to know, so we were able to create this representation of it
00:56so we've got a real sense of the outside, and then also we cat-scanned it, and it's a bad pun, but never mind.
01:02And we discovered inside that the real cat is a tiny wee kitten, much, much smaller than the bandages.
01:08So presumably what went on was that actually at a temple they were selling mummified cats
01:13for people to give as a gift to the temple.
01:16And you'd make more money out of selling a large cat than a little one, so they bulked it out.
01:21So I think it does give a bit of an insight into what was going on in a temple of daily life
01:26and how they were making offerings to the gods in Egypt.
01:29Photogrammetry is a technique for building 3D models from photographs.
01:34So basically it consists in taking a lot of photographs around an object
01:38and then using a clever piece of software to stitch them all together and build a 3D model.
01:44And the result is very good, the textures are very realistic.
01:49So anyone can rotate the model, zoom into the object and explore the texture
01:56and the shape of the 3D model at any device.
02:01On the one hand we're thinking of the students in the University of Aberdeen
02:04and their chance to really make use of the collections.
02:07I mean it's a wonderful privilege being a student in Aberdeen when you've got the collection
02:10and we need to make more use of it.
02:12The other thing of course is we're able to web mount them,
02:14so they're going to be available to anybody who wants to see these things.
02:17And there are a number of international projects looking at things like cat mummies
02:21who are contributing to international scholarship as well as our own teaching.