Robots can be awesome. They also can be creepy. This robot fits firmly into the latter category. While most robots have expressionless heads, this one has a face. But not just any face – this robot can have YOUR face on it.
By mounting an LED projector inside of its head, the SociBot can change its face to suit your every whim. It can be loaded with a library of standard faces, or in minutes, your face can be scanned and uploaded to its head. Each face then is mapped with a library of expressions, and mouth movements for talking. The robot can also track gestures, faces, and speak in over twenty languages. Using an IR depth sensor, it can even track the position of up to 12 people in a crowd.
The robot was designed by Will Jackson and his colleagues at Engineered Arts – who are also behind RoboThespian. He says the intent is to provide greater social interaction from the electronic devices we use, and the technology could be used for things like information kiosks or for jobs like automated bank tellers. Oh and if you think that’s creepy, get a load of SociBot with its head off:
Projection mapping makes for eye-catching presentations, but for now it’s mostly used in advertising, live performances and for artistic purposes. The folks at animation studio Leviathan think they can simplify the technology for commercial and personal use. The studio’s proof-of-concept is called Ghost Box.
As with other projection mapping setups, Ghost Box uses projectors – in this case two of them – to beam dynamic visuals to a three dimensional object. The kicker here is that instead of requiring sophisticated knowledge or equipment, the system is self-contained and the projectors are controlled by easy to use mobile apps. For instance, in the video below you can see Ghost Box was used as a car configurator. Users simply tap and swipe on a tablet to change the properties of the car, and their choices are projected in real time to a scale model.
Nothing beats seeing and handling an actual object, but I can see Ghost Box being useful for educational purposes. A Ghost Wall or a Ghost Room would be way better though.
While we’ve certainly seen our fairshare of coolvideogameinspiredcakes over the years, this is the first time I’ve seen one that almost looks playable. By using projection mapping technology, this wedding cake has been turned into an animated version of Donkey Kong.
Posh DJs and their pal Dan from Invader Visuals worked their magic with a set of boxy white cakes from MealsForReals to make this epically geeky cake come together. But enough talking about it, it only really makes sense if you see it in action:
Cool, no? It looks like it also has Dig Dug, Pac-Man and other modes, but the Donkey Kong level is the best since it fits so perfectly onto the tiers of the cake. I only wish the cake came with a joystick so you could play it before eating it.
P.S. If you loved the video’s soundtrack as much as I did, you can find the whole tune here.
This is incredible. None of the effects you see in the video above by Bot & Dolly were made in post production—everything you see was captured in camera. Which is incredible, because it looks absolutely unreal. The trick was using a perfect projection-mapping system that could be beamed onto moving surfaces, in this case moving canvases. It’s a combination of performance art and digital art. I can’t get enough.
A camera that can keep a fast moving object in its sight is very useful. It could be adapted to cover sports or wartime events, or for academic and military purposes. That’s why a group of researchers at the University of Tokyo’s Ishikawa Oku Laboratory are working on a camera system that can automatically keep its eyes on the prize.
The current prototype uses two small mirrors that move independently of each other: one for panning and one for tilting. DigInfo says that the mirrors are controlled “in the order of milliseconds” and the camera can take an image every 1/1000th of a second. Even more impressive, the system can also be used in reverse. Instead of taking an image, it can project an image onto a fast moving object in real time. Imagine being able to tag an escaping prisoner or a wild animal. Or a celebrity.
Roppongi Hills has launched an interactive website called Tokyo City Symphony as part of a digital campaign that allows users to create and project symphonies of light and music onto a 1:1000 scale model of the Tokyo cityscape.
Operating under the theme of ‘LOVE TOKYO’, the website is being released as part of a number of creative events happening around Roppongi Hills to celebrate their 10th anniversary. The experience starts off by accessing the site and choosing from three visual motifs: “Future City”, “Rock City” and “Edo City”.
Each user is given an eight second score which they can use their keyboards like a piano to input various combinations of matching light projections and melodies onto the scale model of Tokyo. If desired, they can then choose to save and share their symphony creations on Facebook, Twitter or Google +. Submitted symphony scores are put together in an online archive as part of an infinite symphony.
The result is an incredibly lifelike simulation of what customised projection mapping on the whole of Tokyo would look like. In fact, the scale model of the city that was used was previously used in a bid to host the Olympic Games in Tokyo back in 2009. To provide some additional perspective, the handcrafted model measures about 5 square meters while real life Tokyo stretches over 6,400 acres of land.
The project was made in collaboration with a number of Japan’s most prominent creators, including creative direction by Tsubasa Oyagi, who was behind OK Go’s Cannes Lion winning video All Is Not Lost. The campaign is the first from his new creative boutique, SIX P.I.C.S, and also involves talent from well-known interactive design agency Bascule Inc as well as motion specialist TAKCOM and music by Koshi Miura of Kuchiroro.
The small details of the project are eerily accurate, from the sounds – anyone who has ever gotten off at Roppongi Station, for example, will recognise the voice of the train conductor announcing ‘Roppongi, Roppongi’ – to the actual visual display of the Tokyo cityscape itself. All of these things create a dynamic experience of being in Tokyo city, albeit online.
Creative Director: Tsubasa Oyagi, Web Director: Kampei Baba (BASCULE), Programmer: Noriyuki Watanabe (BASCULE), Designer: Sadanori Maeda, Movie Director: TAKCOM, Composer: Kouji Miura, 3D Projection Mapping: Hironori Terai, Takahiko Kashima, Production/System: Toshiyuki Hashimoto, Seiya Nakano, Tomoya Kishimoto.
As part of their Technology Night and Day Event this weekend, Intel featured a 3D projection mapping project that utilised two robotic arms and a monolithic screen. Held over a Saturday night and Sunday morning, the Akihabara event was intended to debut Intel’s new 4th-generation Core processors for desktop and laptop PCs.
The projection mapping was crafted by some of the same people who lit up Zojoji Temple for KDDI, and won the Grand Prize in the Entertainment Division at the 16th Japan Media Art’s Festival for their work on techno-pop group Perfume’s global debut, Rhizomatiks.
Projection mapping uses a combination of specialised software and projection technology to turn any 2D or 3D object, no matter how irregular, into a custom-fit “screen” that creators can use to project optical illusions, and moving images onto. For this particular event, the projection was made in collaboration with audio from DJ Setsuya Kurotaki, who performed live that night.
A rapid series of images, animations and light effects were projected onto two robotic arms which moved rhythmically in unison with the beat.
Using projection mapping to accompany product promotions or events is becoming an increasingly popular tool for advertising and branding alike. The ability to transform everyday objects as big as buildings to items as small as shimeji mushrooms, into optical illusions and moving images means that any surface can now be used as part of visually impressive performances and installations.
Earlier this year Microsoft introduced IllumiRoom, a prototype technology that augments TVs and other displays by projecting room-filling visuals that complement what is being shown on the screen. Microsoft Research recently released a video that explains the basics of IllumiRoom.
IllumiRoom can augment your gaming sessions in a number of ways. The most obvious and impressive way is to extend what’s being shown on your TV into the area around it. The resulting effect is halfway between a 3D headset and a cinema. But this is also the most difficult feature to implement because it will require “access to the game’s source code.” Other features of the IllumiRoom include adding spatial cues or matching mood lighting to enhance immersion.
Movies can also be extended using the IllumiRoom, but again the movie would have to be made with this function in mind. In other words, every scene has to be shot in a wide field of view in addition to the usual shots.
As mentioned in the video, the current proof-of-concept prototype uses a Kinect to analyze the color and geometry of the area around the TV and an off-the-shelf projector to display the complementary visuals. But as Microsoft’s researchers imply in their paper (pdf), the goal is to pack all the necessary hardware into one device. This IllumiRoom-capable device will then be “connected wirelessly to a next generation gaming console as a secondary display.” I wonder if we’ll hear more about it on May 21.
I love a good art exhibit as much as the next guy, but sometimes it can get a little boring just staring at all the static paintings on the walls – never mind the humiliation of getting chastised by the museum security for standing to close to them, like what happened to me a MoMA a couple of months back.
These unique paintings not only are more visually stimulating than most, but are interactive. Created by Brent Watanabe, For(){}; is an installation of paintings which let you play video games on them.
The acrylic paintings simply serve as projection surfaces for the retro-style games, while passersby can play a quirky, custom video game using an old-school NES controller. Brent used Flash and the Box2D physics engine to create the game. The gameplay is described as follows:
“There is no beginning or end to the game, just collecting and wandering, birthing and consuming, an arbitrary point system rising until your inevitable death and the birth of another generation. It is a game mechanism without the game. An addictive but essentially aimless experience.”
Forget celebrity endorsements or extreme action footage, if you’re a footwear designer who really wants shoppers to buy your sneakers, take some inspiration from Craig Winslow’s marvellous projection mapping exhibit. Instead of just sitting on a shelf, the shoes come to life with animations and a series of wild designs. More »
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
