3D Laser Scanning Services Help Uncover 1,200-Year-Old Canoe

The Artifact was Largely Undamaged

In Lake Mendota, a 1,200-year-old boat was reportedly uncovered. The discovery of an old relic might lead to a slew of questions. Kai Brito talks with Lennon Rodgers, Director of the University of Wisconsin Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Labs, and James Skibo, State Archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society, to hear more about how 3D laser scanning services assisted in identifying some of these challenges (WHS). 

After making a rigorous discovery to preserve the artifact’s delicate nature, the WHS Archaeologist put it through a tedious and needed preservation process. The physical examination would have to be postponed as a result. Fortunately, the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Washington provided 3D scanning services for this problem.

Tenny Thompson, a diver, made the first find in the summer, and it was subsequently dragged out in November of the same year, according to James Skibo. Surprisingly, it was largely undamaged. 

There are several things to learn from what was discovered about this canoe, including the technology of the period, the quality of raw materials used in the construction process, net sinkers, and the fact that this was the first sinker bolt ever made. How someone would cut down white oak to create such beauty is incredible. 

This was part of what was learned about this item; our findings revealed that it was fashioned using stone tools from a white oak tree, a very hard and solid wood. Because they generally burn the canoe’s interior and carve it out with other tools, there is evidence of burning on the inside of the canoe.”

The canoe, however, is undergoing a two-and-a-half preservation procedure. So James and Lennon worked together to clean the canoe and make a flawless copy that they may study until the canoe was scheduled for a medical test. 

The two-and-a-year span of 3D laser scanning services will allow you to learn about the canoe’s use, capacity, and likely causes. Because Lennon is an engineer, this mental process brought him into the picture.

How Do 3D Laser Scanning Services Work?

This assignment was completed via a laser beam scanner with a laser beam on the surface and cameras below it. The most intriguing aspect is that it provides more than just an image; it also provides extensive 3D laser scanning information about the canoe that cannot be seen with the naked eye. 

Although the resolution of the final output cannot be guaranteed, the camera must be adjusted to the required resolution for the final outcome during the 3D scanning services.

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