QUMA
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Qumarion 3D modeling mannequin coming soon for $750, still won't play with your kid (video)
Trying to get convincing, natural poses out of 3D models can be tricky, so it's a relief that two Japanese universities' joint ventures, the University of Electro-Communications' ViVienne and the University of Tsukuba's SoftEther, are close to wrapping up work on their posable mannequin. Now called Qumarion, the model formerly known as QUMA uses 32 sensors across 16 body joints to translate the humanoid statue's pose to the computer screen simply by bending limbs, much like you would the legion of action figures you had when you were eight. Neither you nor your kids will be using Qumarion to storm Fort Barbie anytime soon, but the 120 frames per second sample rate over USB does mean that poses are mirrored in your modeling tools almost instantly. You also won't have much longer to wait to buy one for your fledgling anime production: the mannequin and custom modeling software from Celsys should be bundled together sometime within the summer for a comparatively frugal $750.
SoftEther's sensor-laden QUMA robot demonstrates poses, intimidates your acting coach (video)
A solution in search of a problem, or a solution to a problem that you were too proud to cop to? SoftEther has just revealed what might be the final blow to Barbie's distinguished career: the sensor-splashed QUMA. So far as we can tell, the human-shaped puppet contains a myriad sensors to pick up precise bends and flexes, and then pipes that information to a screen. Aside from showing your team of ballerinas exactly how their routine should look, we're guessing that the real future here is in far more sophisticated tasks -- things like artificial intelligence, major motion pictures and scientific research. As the saying goes, a video's worth a zillion words, so have a peek for yourself just after the break.
