‘Technology is a tool, people give it purpose.” That is the message of Touchable Memories, an initiative by Pirate3D. While it is a promotional video, the heartwarming message is wonderful.
3D printing has become a reality and a lot has been written, discussed and presented pertaining to its widespread use in various ways. From applications in prototyping, modeling and industry to personal uses which could be anything from fun and entertainment to education and training, 3D printing has been and is being explored in innumerable ways. But never before has it been explored in an innovative way as Touchable Memories has managed to do.
Visually impaired people can form memories but there is a tendency of those memories to fade. There is some debate in science whether visual impairment affects imagination but what is certain is that an inability to see limits a person’s correlation with the world. Visually impaired people relate to the world by the virtue of touch and that is not something possible with photographs or videos. Since those two mediums are the manifestations of memory or ways of preserving them other than the image in the mind, the visually impaired do not get to cherish their memories. 3D printing changes that by giving form to a memory.
Photographs can be used to create 3D models that the visually impaired can touch and feel what the memory is. The video that Pirate3D has produced brings forth some wonderful instances where a few visually impaired people get to recreate and connect with their memories. In some cases, old photos have been used for the design of the 3D models. In some cases, a memory is used to create an image or a moment which is then printed in 3D. A dad holding his son, a detailed setting of a room or a simple object that was once dear and is now lost, all can be created using 3D printing.
There are truly many ways technology can be used and in more humane ways than normally envisioned. The emotions, the recalling of the memories and the pure joy of those who have been featured in the video are unparallel. 3D printing can certainly be more than fun, entertaining and utilitarian industrially. There are some very fine ways to use 3D printing and the video is a great initiative to further that cause.
