<scp>COPIS</scp> : A robust and versatile robotic imaging system for the <scp>3D</scp> digitization of natural history specimens with photogrammetry

Abstract Ecologists and evolutionary biologists are increasingly turning to 3D models to use in scientific research. Natural history museums are one of the primary sources for specimens used as 3D models, and efforts are underway to digitize their collections using methods like photogrammetry. We present COPIS, the Computer Operated Photogrammetric Imaging System, a novel, open‐source, robotic solution for acquiring images of specimens for photogrammetric model reconstruction. It employs multiple cameras that can automatically, independently, and simultaneously move around specimens and can also accommodate both turntable and multiple fixed‐position camera modalities as in other imaging systems. Its system architecture permits high‐throughput digitization and is cost‐efficient, scalable in both physical footprint and camera configuration, and customizable through different derivative tools to suit bespoke imaging needs. COPIS is adaptable for imaging biological, geological and cultural specimens of diverse forms in full colour and at true scale. We have used it, for example, to image mammal and bird skins, eggs, fossils, pinned insects and their labels, marine gastropod shells, and cultural heritage and anthropological artefacts. In a test of model reconstruction measurement accuracy from a subset of Yale Peabody Museum specimens, the difference between specimen measurements taken by hand and their equivalent digital measurements on the reconstructed models was all under 2% (range: 0.16% to 1.71%), indicating the reliability of models reconstructed by COPIS imagery for quantitative morphological analyses. COPIS is a robust and comprehensive system that has the potential to reduce the digitization gap and make 3D models more accessible to people around the globe. There are still plenty of new features and enhancements that can be added to the system, so it is our hope that the open‐source design of COPIS will foster an interdisciplinary community of researchers and professionals to realize these updates to its hardware and software architectures.