Andersen reconstructs history
ENVISION Magazine, 2005

Art Andersen ’67 describes himself as a “paleotechnologist.” It’s an occupation that straddles the worlds he loves most – the prehistoric and high tech manufacturing.

Andersen’s company, Virtual Surfaces, Inc. in Mount Prospect, Ill., provides engineering services to commercial clients. Using advanced software and high resolution three-dimensional scanners, he works with industry, the scientific community and museums to “connect the dots” that define surfaces. His goal? To generate realistic objects from raw data.

“It’s a 3D world out there,” Andersen says.

In 1996, a paleontologist from the University of Chicago asked Andersen to assist in a project to extract the braincase of a huge, carnivorous dinosaur excavated from the Kem Kem Desert in Morocco. The resulting prototype was the first dinosaur skull to be physically studied without damaging the original specimen. Andersen also worked with the Milwaukee Public Museum to electronically visualize an Egyptian mummy believed to have been a 20 year-old priest who died around 200 B.C.

“I created a threshold and up popped the skull, then up popped his face,” Andersen says. “I realized I was the first person in 2,200 years to look at this guy.”

The Smithsonian Museum also called on Andersen’s skills, this time to help reconstruct a 65-million year old triceratops skeleton. To prevent further deterioration, scientists dismantled the fossil piece by piece and 3D images of the bones were created. Virtual Surfaces then connected the dots, filling the spaces in between the points to re-create each bone, producing two detailed model skeletons. Via computer, Andersen enabled the beast to walk, virtually. A “toy” model with movable joints was also produced, both contributing to a more accurate display for the museum.

Andersen’s most recent project comes from the Nevada State Museum. Out in Virginia City, Nev., a broken cribbage board was unearthed near an old silver mine along with a Tabasco bottle bearing a faded label from a historic café run by African Americans. With CAT scans done at a nearby hospital, Virtual Surfaces was able to create a computer model of the game board and cast it, plus create a physical bottle for the museum’s collection.

Industry also benefits in Andersen’s 3D world. He utilizes reverse engineering, a process that involves scanning an existing part, then reproducing it as a computer model. Machine parts can be made that no drawings exist for or that are no longer manufactured.

Only a few people in the country are currently doing this type of work, Andersen says. Virtual Surfaces, a three-person operation, remains on the cutting edge. His expertise in the area has required much practice and some “powerful” software.

In the 1960s, Andersen started out with a background in math and physics (he had a double major at UW-Whitewater). At one point he ran a display manufacturing company in Skokie, Ill., but got tired of “loading and unloading trucks.” Over the years he ventured into the field of paleontology. Now he’s a member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and occasionally goes on dinosaur “digs” in his spare time. He finds it fascinating to hold discussions with some of the top scientists in the field.

“I always liked dinosaurs as a kid growing up,” Andersen says with a smile. “But, I never imagined I’d be doing what I’m doing now.” – Jane Provorse