XCT Laboratory

The XCT Lab is a state-of-the-art facility for computed tomography (3D) imaging of objects in the Field Museum and part of the Museum’s Core Lab Group. The facility, established in Fall 2024, includes two North Star Imaging (NSI) XCT scanners. The larger of the two scanners is an X5000 with a dual tube setup: one 450kV mini-focus tube, and one 225kV micro-focus tube. This scanner can house samples up to 500lbs and 1.2m in longest dimension, and has excellent penetrating power for imaging dense samples like fossils and meteorites. The smaller scanner is an X25 with a 150kV Hamamatsu tube, which is excellent for imaging smaller and/or less dense samples in extremely high resolution, such as small animal skeletons. In addition to the scanners, the lab is equipped with two high-powered computers for post-scan data processing. Available software includes NSI’s suite of inspection and reconstruction software, VG Studio, ORS Dragonfly, 3DSlicer, Meshlab, and Blender.

Field Museum scientists and their students are eligible to request scans of Field Museum objects from the XCT lab. For the moment, the only scanner operator is the lab manager, Dr. Stephanie Smith. We are currently in the process of developing an online scan request system – stay tuned for information on how to plan and execute a scan request and our research!

The lab is just getting started and we’re very excited to develop scanning techniques for all sorts of objects from the Museum’s collections! We hope to scan all types of biological specimens, geological specimens, and anthropological objects. 

Stephanie Smith, Manager of the XCT Lab

More Information: If you are interested in learning more about the XCT Lab please inquire with the XCT Laboratory manager, Dr. Stephanie Smith at smsmith@fieldmuseum.org and consult the XCT info page.