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

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2018-10-24

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 3 (2018)

Section

Research Papers

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).