Augmented reality without programming in five minutes
A somewhat cryptic but fascinating tutorial on AR using Quartz Composer. [via Beyond The Beyond]
Virtual Worlds
SATIN, a virtual reality spline
Researches at the Politecnico di Milano and a group of other organizations have developed the Sound and Tangible Interfaces for Novel product Design (SATIN) haptic interface. It combines a robotic spline object with a virtual reality display, to allow a designer to physically manipulate and interact with curve lines in a virtual design.
Virtual 3D “fish tank” box has screens all around
The brilliant (if perhaps poorly named) pCubee from The University of British Columbia’s Human Communications Technology Lab is exactly what it appears to be–a box with flat screens on 5 sides. Both the user’s position and the orientation of the box are tracked to provide a real-time, perspective-corrected illusion of 3D forms “inside” the box. I want one with an impossible pet inside, like a baby Totoro or something. [via Geekologie]
Tactile gaming vest lets you feel the pew pew pew
Roboticist Saurabh Palan, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, just hipped us to his “Tactile Gaming Vest” project. The vest contains solenoids, rumble-packs, and Peltier heating elements, and is designed to provide haptic feedback in first-person shooters. Get shot with a pistol, get a kick in the chest from a solenoid. Was it a laser? Add some local heat from the Peltiers. Vibration from the rumble-packs can be used to simulate explosions or slashing attacks. There’s more info at Palan’s personal site, iRoboticist.com. Double win for scoring that URL.
Flame: A cool Processing-based art program
Flame is an art program created by Peter Blaskovic using Processing, a noob-friendly flavor of Java favored by artists and hobbyists. Flame shows how far the language has grown. It basically lets you draw using your mouse pointer, and the lines you draw look awesomely like fire. [via Kottke]
Virtual Nautilus
While the renders look a little dated, it’s hard not to appreciate the passion put into this recreation of Jules Verne’s iconic submarine. Even the boring rooms are mapped out and recreated in 3D! I began the effort to develop a complete set of detailed source files for the Nautilus in 2001, when I acquired […]
Laser-mapped subterranean passages
La Subterranea is a project that uses a laser to map out underground tunnels. La Subterranea [is] an ongoing research project which takes its name from a tunnel and viaduct system running underneath and through the city of Guanajuato, Mexico. As riverbed, vehicular thoroughfare, and the historical back alley to the city, La Subterranea has […]
