Measuring the shape: performance evaluation of a photogrammetry improvement applied to the Neanderthal skull Saccopastore 1

Authors

  • Costantino Buzi Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8951-2990
  • Ileana Micarelli Sapienza University of Rome
  • Antonio Profico Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome
  • Jacopo Conti Sapienza University of Rome
  • Roberto Grassetti Museo di Antropologia “Giuseppe Sergi”
  • Walter Cristiano BIGEA, Università di Bologna
  • Fabio Di Vincenzo Museo di Antropologia “Giuseppe Sergi”
  • Mary Anne Tafuri Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome
  • Giorgio Manzi Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21014/acta_imeko.v7i3.597

Abstract

Several digital technologies are nowadays developed and applied to the study of the human fossil record. Here, we present a low-cost hardware implementation of the digital acquisition via photogrammetry, applied to a specimen of paleoanthropological interest: the Neanderthal skull Saccopastore 1. Such implementation has the purpose to semi-automatize the procedures of digital acquisition, by the introduction of an automatically rotating platform users can easily build on their own with minimum costs. We provide all the technical specifications, mostly based on the Arduino UNO™ microcontroller technology, and evaluate the performance and the resolution of the acquisition by comparing it with the CT-scan of the same specimen through the calculation of their shape differences. In our opinion, the replication of the automatic rotating platform, described in this work, may contribute to the improvement of the digital acquisition processes and may represent, in addition, a useful and affordable tool for both research and dissemination.

Author Biographies

Ileana Micarelli, Sapienza University of Rome

Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità

Jacopo Conti, Sapienza University of Rome

Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra

Walter Cristiano, BIGEA, Università di Bologna

Dipartimento di Scienze biologiche, geologiche e ambientali

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Published

2018-10-24

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 3 (2018)

Section

Research Papers

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