Overview
Two physical fabrication experiments: a 3D-scanned and printed miniature figure of myself, and a laser-etched wooden business card with an embedded NFC chip for a tactile digital handshake.
3D Printed Self
The process was surprisingly simple, and that was the whole point. I wanted to see how far you could get with consumer tech you already own.
I started by scanning my face using Heges, a LiDAR scanning app on iPhone. The raw scan was noisy, so I cleaned it up and sculpted the mesh in Nomad Sculpt on iPad. Smoothing artifacts, fixing topology, and shaping it into a printable bust and full-body figure. From there, it went straight to an Ender 3D printer.
What struck me most was how accessible the entire pipeline has become. No photogrammetry rig, no professional sculpting software, no industrial printer. Just a phone, a tablet, and a $200 printer.
Laser Etched NFC Card
The idea was a business card that feels like an object, something you'd actually keep. I started with a programmable NFC card from Amazon and built the physical layer on top of it.
I laser-cut a walnut veneer piece to card dimensions, then used the laser etching machine to engrave the details: my coordinates, a QR code, my handle, and the website URL. The NFC chip sits underneath, so tapping the card with a phone opens my portfolio. It's a tactile digital handshake.
The Makerspace
Both projects were made at the University of Maryland makerspace during a fabrication course. The space had everything: 3D printers, laser cutters, soldering stations. The course unlocked a whole set of skills I didn't know I was missing. There's something deeply satisfying about holding a finished object that you designed on a screen an hour earlier.
