Smithsonian Displays 3D-Printed Bust of President Obama

Watch out, Madame Tussaud’s: the Smithsonian is stocking up on strikingly lifelike likenesses. President Obama is the subject of the first presidential portraits created from 3D scan data, and the works–including a 3D-printed bust and life mask–are on display through December 31 in the Smithsonian Castle’s Commons gallery. To create the eerily accurate bust, a Smithsonian-led team thoroughly scanned the President earlier this year using a Light Stage face scanner (courtesy of the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies), handheld 3-D scanners, and traditional single-lens reflex cameras.