MEDICAL DETECTIVES DISCOVER 3D PRINTING (ALABAMA, USA)

From our article in the Eufaula Tribune:

On February 1 and 2, 2017, we had the pleasure of joining Raven Ivey’s Medical Detectives and science classes at Admiral Moorer Middle School in Eufaula, AL to share with her students about how creativity can transform lives.

Throughout the last few years, we’ve used our backgrounds in fine arts, film, and photography to work with engineers, doctors, and scientists in paving new paths for worldwide industries. To explain what this means a little more, we ask this question: When was the last time filmmakers and doctors collaborated to change the world?

Not often! But we believe the key to carrying the world forward is through working together and combining our different skill sets. Medical research is entering an exciting new phase, which we are pleased to be a part of: 3D-printing human organs for surgical practice to save lives. For example, patients with tumors in hard-to-reach places have one shot at corrective surgery; even the slightest wrong movement can cost the patient their life.

We teamed up with a renowned doctor in New Zealand to test the new innovative strategy: import CT/MRI scans into 3D sculpting software commonly used by filmmakers and animators, and 3D print the affected area so surgeons are able to practice on a to-scale model in order to ensure the surgery is successful. Aside from extra practice, a huge advantage of doing this is the cost. Each 3D print of the patient costs around $10. Sounds good to us! Prosthetics is another unlikely industry we artists and designers would join forces with. 3D printing a prosthetic eye and a bionic arm are two of our past projects. Working with an ophthalmologist also in New Zealand, we used free 3D scanning apps on our smartphones to scan an 80-year-old patient named Graham, who had lost his eye to cancer and ended up with an empty socket.

Combining precise physical measurements and the measurements from our 3D scans, we were able to 3D print a replica of Graham’s good eye reflected to fit into his empty socket. After we made sure it fit, we sent it off to a studio in London where the real prosthesis could be 3D printed in silicone. At the same time as this project, we worked with an engineer named Dave who was designing a bionic arm for a girl born without half of her left arm. The arm itself, after prototyping, was very functional, but the edges were too harsh to fit comfortably on the girl’s arm. We used our software to make the arm (which we laughingly called Bob) more aesthetically pleasing and more practical for a girl who would be wearing it out every day.

We never stop learning in life, especially when we constantly expand our horizons and collaborate. This is the main message we wanted to share with the students at AMMS, as well as to inspire them to never stop exploring and never to give up on their dreams and ideas. We ourselves are so inspired after meeting the visionaries at AMMS, and we hope to soon come back again. Our dream is to create a global innovation and research hub between the US, New Zealand, and Asia.

MOTION GRAPHICS INTRO

Gabriel had the opportunity to work with the SERC Youth Development team to develop and produce a motion graphics intro for their ongoing online video series. We want to inspire students to take on varieties of creative projects such as 3D graphics, video production, and game design in enriching their explorative creative journey and study.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Archived photos are provided for the project. Using After Effects, we explored title design and photographic animation in a 3D space. The overall motion and design aesthetics added a contemporary style and look to the video series.