On Wednesday, the Smithsonian Institution unveiled a 3-D portrait of President Barack Obama -- the first 3-D printed portrait of a sitting president.

Presented at the White House Maker Faire, the portrait was created by a team of digital imaging specialists who scanned President Obama's head this year using two distinct 3-D processes. The 3-D printed bust and life mask of Obama will become part of the National Portrait Gallery collection, NBC Washington reported.

Experts from the University of Southern California used a "light stage" face scanner and handheld 3-D scanners to document the features of the president's face from ear to ear. They also used cameras to record 3-D data to create a bust of the president.

According to the director of the Smithsonian's digitization program, Gunter Waibel, the project was inspired by 3-D life masks of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington that were made using plaster casting. But Obama is the first sitting president to have a 3-D portrait made. The scanning process took only five minutes.

"We were really inspired by our experience with the Lincoln life masks," Waibel said.

"There's a very, very deep connection that gets made when you have accurate data of a person's face and that person was a part of history," Waibel told The Associated Press. "People really felt the Lincoln life masks deeply spoke to them and connected them to a place, a time, a life and ultimately a legacy of the 14th president."

"You can see down to the wrinkles in the skin and the pores on his face," said Vince Rossi, a 3D imaging specialist.

"We think we've really added a new genre to portraiture," Waibel said. "It will be fascinating to see how that will be picked up and how down the line other administrations will also use that particular tool."