3D PRINTING HELPS THE BLIND TO SEE.

For one couple in Italy, finding a way to share photos became a challenge—and ultimately, a gift. Many of us have had that desire to see what our partner or spouse looked like as a child. As you grow to love someone, it’s easy to become curious about every part of their life—and being able to go back decades and take a look at their face before it became etched with a few wrinkles, or before the hair began to salt and pepper, has a certain degree of romantic fascination about it. Domenico lives in Como, Italy, where his girlfriend Miki is also located. Miki has been blind since birth, but she became very interested in the idea of seeing what Domenico looked like as a boy. That might seem like a simple request to honor in most cases, but for his girlfriend, Domenico had to get resourceful. Domenico got in touch with an Italian artist and digital sculptor, Simone Rasetti. He was able to use his considerable talents just by using a 40-year-old photo presented by Domenico, showing himself at five months old (cue in one big collective awwwww right here). He made a reconstruction of the face digitally in Z-Brush, and then uploaded it to Z-Suite software so that it could be 3D printed on a Zortrax 3D printer. Miki was included in the whole process, including being able to understand how the 3D printing process works by gently feeling the inside of the machine as the sculpture was being fabricated, letting her hand move back and forth for a moment as the layers were formed. It wasn’t long before the sculpture was finished and in her possession for good. Miki learnt about how Domenico appeared in the past, but she was also able to learn about a very helpful technology of the present and future—and she certainly had more of an education regarding 3D printing in a very short time than most do. With the help of Zortrax software and hardware, Miki is able to ‘see’ her boyfriend and indeed this type of printing should become more and more common. The sculpture of Domenico as a baby can be described with one word: adorable! 3D printing being used in many ways to enhance the lives of the blind, from delighting children with yearbooks that let them see their friends faces, and tactile books that allow them to experience stories more enjoyably, to offering 3D printed musical notation, maps, and much more. As the list grows, the blind have much greater insight into some parts of life that we of course take for granted. culled from 3Dprint.com