Test print of microscopic dust, next onto the 4-foot version.
Render: Microscopic Dust
A cleaned up 3D reconstruction of a piece of dust, digitized using an electron microscope. Rendered in glossy pink plastic, because why not?
Dust Slicing
A microscopic piece of dust, sliced by a focused ion beam inside an electron microscope. The dust is coated in a one-micron-thick layer of pure platinum to “seal” it in place before slicing. Created at the Center for Multiscale Imaging at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Encapsulated Dust
A piece of microscopic dust sitting on a CD-R, encapsulated in a 1-micron-thick layer of pure platinum to seal it in place.
Microscopic Dust Texture
OBJ texture file from a piece of microscopic dust, captured using an electron microscope.
Sliced Dust Particle
Above: a microscopic dust particle from the surface of a CD-ROM.
Below: the piece of dust, sliced with a “focused ion beam” device. In front of it is a trench cut by the beam as it slices the particle. The slices are imaged and will be reconstructed into a 3D model of the particle.
Electron Microscope
I was fortunate enough this week to visit the Stevens Laboratory for Multiscale Imaging, home to the campus’ electron microscope. Generously, they offered for me to make some images on the microscope. I brought in small (12mm square) samples of a hard-drive platter (above), a small 3D print and a CD-R. More images after the break; a full set of images and process photos here.
Benchtop Electron Microscope
An RCA model EMT3 desktop electron microscope, circa 1950. Via Wikipedia user Gregory Tobias.
Electron microscope images of vinyl record grooves
Images of vinyl record grooves taken with an electron microscope by Chris Supranowitz. Would like to see an entire record’s grooves translated into a 3d model, inverted vertically and printed as a mountain range.
And if you thought digital storage was somehow non-physical, the image below is of data stored on a CD – each dot is a 1, with the gaps 0s. Unlike magnetic media where the information is simply an electronic charge, these pits are visible and tangible.
