HUD for Billiards

These are some top notch geeks. They built a setup to compute and project the trajectories of pool shots directly onto their table. It doesn’t work terribly well, but I think it is mostly a problem of low end hardware and strange setup. Why didn’t they put the webcam by the projector, pointed at the mirror?  By having it in the corner they make things immensely more difficult to compute.

I think once Surface goes mainstream, innovations like this will come in a flood.

Laser Interface

These tiny units project a virtual laser keyboard on your table. They are fully functional and even make those little clicky click sounds while you type (optional). It uses a couple of sensors to measure the shadows thrown by your fingers from the projected light in order to indicate their positions. There are several on the market now, including this one conveniently located on amazon. It is compatible with bluetooth and USB, most operating systems, mobile and otherwise, and runs on DC, battery, or USB.

One of the first things that occurred to me when I saw this is that someone needed to make one for DDR/Stepmania. Remove the need to store and stand on a giant mat. Apparently someone is at least partially on that trail (via Engadget), although the execution looks relatively weak at the moment.

Obviously we will be seeing a lot more of this kind of tech soon. I’m hoping in the near future laptops will come inside cellphones. Just drop it on the table and project a keyboard and screen. You could probably do that now with a pico projector, a good cellphone, and one of these.
You can purchase it at ThinkGeek Electronics.

Walking Plants

The enterprising individuals over at The Play Coalition (I’ll get you a link if one comes back into existence) have created a monster. This little palm now has legs, so that it can follow that sunbeam that moves across your living room floor each morning. In my house it would also need to learn to run away from my cat and go grab itself a glass of water when it gets thirsty. Unfortunately, by the time it gets that smart, I imagine I’d find it going through my fridge looking for beer and pizza. Click the image to see PlantBot in motion.

Shadow Sculpting

At first glance, this work of art by Tim Noble and Sue Webster looks like just another nondescript stack of stuff someone is trying to pass off as modern art. The magic happens when the spotlights are turned on.

 

 

When the light is set to hit at just the right angle, the sculpture casts a silhouette in shadow; a self portrait of the artists.

 

 

 

It is an interesting question as to where exactly the art resides in these pieces. There is a sort of gestalt psychology at work here, wherein the wall, the sculpture, and the light are all uninteresting and rather unpleasant in themselves, but together make one of the most thought compelling art techniques I’ve seen. This pile of rubbish, entitled Dirty White Trash [With Gulls], illustrates the extreme versatility of the medium. If you have stuff, and a light source, chances are you have the materials. My expectation is that the artists likely traced each others shadows on the wall and then just started piling up stuff until their outline was obscured by shadow. Other artists and even commercials have used variations of the medium, and I’m surprised it hasn’t become more popular. It might be a fun way to send someone a covert message. I think I might have to find a way to make use of this next Halloween

The Positive Aspects of Negative Space

Here is something that could have, and very well may have, been invented tens of thousands of years ago. By strategically drilling holes in two sheets of metal, Jiyeon Song creates a static structure, which when the sun hits it at certain angles throughout the day and year, allows light to pass through both layers at predetermined positions. The light and shadows produce the ever shifting words of a poem. I’m not a big fan of poetry, but the time lapse is really worth a look.

Wagometer

A joint project between James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, the Augmented Animals Project seems like a joke gone nearly right. With ideas ranging from stealth jackets for whales to acorn locating wrist worn GPS for squirrels, these guys couldn’t possibly be serious, but amidst all the projects that suggest there were too many joints in this joint project, there are a few winners. Most notably this tail ornament for dogs. Ostensibly a translation device, this LED stick uses the same persistence of vision trick seen in novelty clocks, and dozens of other recent devices. In the end it really just makes your dog look even goofier than usual, but it will also get them a lot of extra attention which will not only make them happy, but could also keep them safe from drivers on their daily walk.

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