projectionmapping
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Real-time tracking and projection mapping keeps getting better
Japanese creative studio P.I.C.S. have set a mindbending new standard for real-time tracking and projection mapping with their latest visual creation, EXISDANCE. The technology has been around for a while, although it arguably first captured the mainstream public's imagination at the Grammy's last year, when a red bright lightning bolt appeared on Lady Gaga's face during her David Bowie tribute.
Lightform computer brings glasses-free augmented reality 'anywhere'
We've seen some really neat results when it comes to projection mapping -- especially from this year's SXSW -- but new tech from former Microsoft and Disney employees could change the game. Lightform takes tech like IllumiRoom and what Disney Research and Razer have worked on prior and amps it up. At its core, Lightform is a camera that hooks up to "any video projector" via HDMI and works in tandem with it to display complex, interactive scenes on every day objects. Yep, even houseplants.
Watch code and projections bring a paper sculpture to life
Paper art doesn't have to be flat and lifeless... just ask Aristides Garcia. The artist recently created an interactive sculpture, Tesela, that uses a combination of 3D projection mapping and tesselation algorithms to cast real-time, viewer-influenced patterns over 103 paper pyramids. The effect is a bit hypnotic, as you'll see below -- it's as if the paper has suddenly become a living landscape. You sadly can't see this in person at the moment (Garcia debuted it at a Berlin exhibit in August), but it still shows that the right technology can liven up just about anything, even if it's made from dead trees.
Super-fast projector may be key to holodeck-like rooms
Projection mapping theoretically adds a Holodeck-like level of immersion to simulations, but current projectors are simply too slow to keep up with fast-moving people. That won't be an issue if University of Tokyo researchers have their way. They've developed DynaFlash, a 1,000 frames per second projector that can keep up with just about any moving object. It can't beam images into thin air, like you see above (that's just for show), but it can seemingly do everything else -- even if you shake or spin an object very quickly, you'll still get the image where you wanted it to be. The trick involves adding a special controller to a DLP (digital light processing) projector that, combined with fast image output, delivers both high frame rates and low latency.
Trippy exhibit uses Kinect to send kids to the wilderness
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351325{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351325, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351325{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351325").style.display="none";}catch(e){}"Whoaaa," said a child as he walked through the doors around noon. His eyes widened and he picked up his pace at the sight of Connected Worlds, a series of stunning landscapes projected on giant walls at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. The light from the 3,000-square-foot installation illuminated his face in hues of green and blue. At the center of the room, surrounded by screens, a couple dozen kids ran from one magical habitat to another, chasing fantastical creatures and digital streams in the interactive space.
You can build Microsoft's Kinect-powered holodeck at home
Got a Kinect, a projector and a knack for code? If so, you can create a Star Trek-like holodeck in your living room. Microsoft has released the RoomAlive Toolkit, a software framework that lets you string together Kinect motion trackers to create interactive projection maps. You can use it to build anything from extra-immersive games through to art displays. This isn't exactly a trivial undertaking (Microsoft is promising lots of tutorials), but it means that you won't have to wait for someone else to bring your augmented reality dreams to life.
If God is a DJ, these are his decks (video)
Not getting the kind of attention you feel a DJ deserves? Then maybe it's because your decks are Plain Janes of spinning black nothingness when they could be so much more. You need projectors up there on the ceiling, creating light shows mapped to the rotation and beat of your records and simultaneously overlaying your software -- so you won't have to keep staring subserviently at a laptop. The next step? Using Wii controllers and motion capture for even stranger effects, plus whatever else your imagination conjures after seeing the video below. Soon this technology will be everywhere, from hospital radio DJs right down to that little pretender who does discos on the pier, so get in there quick to beat the curve.
Real life Minecraft block combines cardboard box, Arduino, and a projector (video)
You know how when you were a kid, the box something came in was almost as fun as the toy itself? Well, that doesn't have to change as you get older -- provided you've retained that creative spark. Ben Purdy apparently kept his imagination nimble and, with the help of a projector, a piezo element and an Arduino (of course), turned a plain ol' box into a real life Minecraft block. Hit the cube with a stick, or anything really, and the projection-mapped image starts to deteriorate and particles tumble off as you mine it. You won't actually be able to turn your harvested materials into structures or tools, but it's still a good idea to keep an eye out for Creepers. Don't miss the trio of videos after the break.
Kinect + projector = augmented reality fireballs (video)
We've seen fancy augmented reality projection before, but we've rarely been able to take it home -- now, it seems Microsoft's hack-friendly Kinect can bring the same trick to the consumer realm. Elliot Woods took the idea that Kinect can map a three-dimensional space and twisted it to his own devious ends -- that is, throwing traditional Street Fighter fireball blasts, complete with the sound effect. What's impressive here, though, isn't the size of his hadouken, but rather the light it's made of -- each is a virtual dynamic light source casting light on the room's real objects to create virtual shadows on the surfaces that stick out. Sounds lovely, but if you can't wrap your head around all that, you'll find all the hot fireball action you need in the video after the break at roughly the five minute mark.
