Kinect is pretty great at scanning dino bones

When your fancy high-tech tools aren't suited for the job, it's time to call the tinkers. The Field Museum of Natural History had a certain famous Tyrannosaurus rex skull they wanted examined with 3D imaging systems, but their dental scanners couldn't fit around the dinosaur's massive jaw. They contacted MIT Media Lab's Camera Culture group, which scanned the whole five-foot fossil with a $150 makeshift setup featuring a Microsoft Kinect. While the Kinect's resolution tops out at 500 micrometers, it only costs $100, compared to thousands of dollars for high-end 3D imaging systems that get down to 50 or 100 micrometers. Still, it was precise enough to scan the skull so scientists can look closer at mysterious holes in the jaw.