Case Study: Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh achieves interactive teen engagement and accessible 3D specimen scanning with 3D Systems' iSense

3D Scanning Museum Specimens with Teens at Carnegie Museums

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s Innovation Studio, led by Creative Technologist Caroline Record, needed to create holograms for an upcoming interactive installation and sought an accessible way to 3D-scan museum specimens. After acquiring an affordable iSense scanner, Record discovered ideal lighting in a nearby teen library area and turned a chance demo into a planned public engagement opportunity.

Working with Carnegie Library and the Museum of Natural History, the team ran a hands-on workshop where teens scanned mounted bird specimens, minimally edited the models, and uploaded them to Sketchfab for embedding and further use. The project not only produced usable 3D assets for exhibits and education but also sparked teen interest, demonstrated the scanner’s ease and affordability, and excited the museum about new research and outreach possibilities.

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Caroline Record

Creative Technologist